Considering the fact that letting him back into RFA would be a bad precedent and all NBA front offices are wishing for the Rockets to hold firm, why would the Jazz want to come and interfere with this process? Trying to offer more to a player that already signed a deal is somewhat interfering. If BJ knew there was no Jazz deal, I would think he wouldn't be so bold.
From Larry Coon in the post above: Should clear up things for Dobro and Mav-hater....to see there is no contract in place, and he doesn't have to go back to RFA. "My interpretation is that the First Refusal Exercise Notice isn’t complete, because it’s still pending D-Mo reporting for and passing his physical. That means he isn’t “deemed to have entered into a Player Contract” with the Rockets. I would also assume that any such contract would have to be approved by the Commissioner in order to become official, and we haven’t heard about that happening. So I don’t know what’s going on with that roster sheet. Maybe something else happened that we don’t know about — for example, the Rockets are still within their rights to waive the physical, which would complete the match and make him a member of the Rockets. Or maybe he IS considered to be a member of the Rockets while the First Refusal Exercise Notice is still pending a physical — as I said, I think there’s room for interpretation here, and Daryl Morey certainly knows more about the situation than I do. Or maybe they just did it as a subtle message to D-Mo and Armstrong that the game’s over." -------------------------------------------------------------------- Watkins has said that Morey would match the incentives if DMo changes year 2 lock in date, so I believe the reason the Rockets have not waived the physical is to give them room to move that March 1st 2nd year lock date, but they need to get DMo to agree to that. IMHO, they will put in those incentives if he agrees to move the date. So, there are only 2 scenarios here. 1. DMo refuses to move date and reports to the Rockets. 2. Dmo agrees to move date for the incentives and reports to the Rockets. There are other scenarios, but I don't believe he will hold out until March....I think option 2 is ultimately where we land as calmer heads will prevail... DD
I think the vast majority of fans here like D-Mo. Notwithstanding his shortcomings, he hustled like crazy whenever he played for us. My hope is that things get work out in next few days, but not at the expense of making BJ come out with a victory cigar.
I'm reading that differently than Coon and DD. I am reading it to mean that DMo is under contract with the Rockets because they matched within 3 days (as stated in the first paragraph). However, because DMo has not submitted to the physical, the Rockets have the ability to void that contract at any time until he submits to and passes the physical.
If BJ knew there was no Jazz deal of course he wouldn't want to go back in RFA. The only two teams with cap space to offer a better contract than this one are the Jazz and the Sixer. Don't see the Sixers needing ANOTHER big on their roster. If anything they need to move one or two. The notion of the Jazz interfering comes from rumors/reports from Cyberx & Calvin Watkins who suggested they came in with another offer after D-Mo signed the offer with the Nets, and BJ was trying to get out from the Rockets matching by D-Mo not showing up to the physical in order to void his contract, and send him back to RFA. I know its been cleared up that this has more to do with them being ignorant about the incentives & Right to first refusal, but no way BJ/D-Mo make this kind of a play that is clearly sending a message to the Rockets that they want to go back into RFA without some sort of inclination that either the Jazz have an offer, or that they are instead going to opt for a smaller one-year deal with another team just to get out of the Rockets grasp this Summer if they match, or sooner if they don't. I tend to think Cyber & Watkins are onto something here, but the only question is after all this time would the Jazz still interfere after all the lights are shining on this situation from the league office, and other teams where it would now put them in a precarious situation with tampering. He's clearly not going back to RFA now so its kind of a non-issue.
I've been looking for clarification on this point too. Anyone have the answer? Nevermind. Found it earlier in this thread in a spoiler from the Insider article... Coon: If a player doesn't report for a physical under this situation, the matching team still holds all the cards. It can simply wait the player out -- he can't play for anyone else in the meantime, including the team that signed him to the offer sheet. Or, it can withdraw its match. If this happens, the player goes back to being a restricted free agent, except he can no longer sign with the team that signed him to the offer sheet. In that case, it would mean some other team would have to pony up an offer if Motiejunas is going to play this year. I don't think that's very likely -- only a couple teams have enough cap room to sign him, and they all know that an offer has to be bigger than Brooklyn's to have any chance of getting past the Rockets. D-Mo would have until March 1 to sign an offer sheet with another team, or until the end of the regular season to sign with the Rockets. If he doesn't sign, Houston can simply give him another qualifying offer next summer, and he's right back in the same boat as a restricted free agent. If the bolded point is true, then I am in no hurry to do anything if I'm the Rockets. Right now they are winning. Matching means they have big insurance with D-Mo (they could always waive the physical later if they run into a problem) and if D-Mo wants to continue to sit out to become a restricted free agent again in March when only the Rockets can sign him, then the Rockets keep an asset at minimal cost and don't interfere with free agency plans.
Huh. The fact that Coon is clearly saying that its "his interpretation" and that its open for interpretation at all doesn't really clear up anything here. Actually raises more question.... particularly about why he's on the inactive roster. If Coon doesn't know, me and you sure don't have clarity. Anyways, my question had nothing to do with that issue. I was assuming he wasn't under "official contract" anyways when I was making my point. It was this pending agreement/contract/tentative agreement/offer sheet etc. ... limbo that the Rockets are in now with D-Mo that I was talking about in the first place. If its an active contract, I would be certain that amending it after the fact (what you and hollic have suggested is best course of action to satisfy D-Mo and come to happy agreement), wouldn't be allowed as its been historically difficult under the CBA to amend contract after finalized as we saw with the Royce White situation. It would take Union and League approval which they wouldn't get. But this offer sheet situation is where I have the question under yours and Hollics suggestion that Morey is going to amend the agreement to change the terms and offer after its already in place. Can you amend this offer sheet/tentative whatever-you-want-to-call-it WITHOUT rejecting the existing agreement (hence sending him back into RFA even for a second), in order to get a new agreement in place that creates said "Happy Place"??? We can't just keep floating around this theory without getting clarification on this first or else you are assuming ALOT, and any point you or others make about how "Morey can just change the terms to come to a happy medium" needs to have this caveat mentioned because it is FREAKING important because of the ramifications & risks of sending D-Mo back into RFA to accomplish this "happy medium".
The inactive list, IMO, is there for the Rockets to build a case for future court considerations. Look, judge he is already on the roster....per se, it is building a paperwork wall. And NOWHERE has it been mentioned that he has to be returned to RFA for Morey to make those changes, Watkins reported that Morey would make those changes if Dmo will move the date. The back to RFA, thing seems to be a Red Herring, unless you have seen it reported somewhere, or is that your speculation, as it certainly WOULD be a concern if true. DD
Sounds like you caught what the experiment proves. What you're saying is that being a millionaire or not changes the outcome. Point is, people don't think rationally in cases of sports salaries. Is DMo really being pursued by 3 teams? Or are you just including BKN, HOU and UTA?
I think if DMo went back into RFA, he can't sign a one-year deal with another team. RFA contracts have to be multi-year, if I recall correctly.
That's what I'm thinking also. Since DMo hasn't taken the physical yet, he's still under contract, but unable to play until he does take the physical.
My question is being raised because i haven't seen it mentioned in full. The process to making those changes (even what Watkins reported) is important in this situation. Yes I'm sure Morey and BJ have discussed moving dates, and making changes to accomodate, but the paperwork process matters because as I've mentioned multiple times how the paperwork gets done (if you can amend this existing document or if you have to reject and create a new one) matters in this case namely because I don't trust BJ, and nor should Morey. If he can stab Morey in the back under a good faith arrangement, it needs to be assumed he will.
Scola got 5 years, $47 million fully guaranteed under the old NBA cap. I think D-Mo is shaking his head rn.
