Either A: No team has offered the 5 year full MLE or B: Another team has offered the 5 year full MLE, but not the Rockets, but he'd rather come to the Rockets. Otherwise, he would have signed already with either , and at least wouldn't be talking about needing the team to show him love as evidenced by contract money. Either way, Mike James apparently didn't get an offer he truely wants from another team, either, thus the 24 hour wait. ___________________________________________________________ According the earlier report, Rockets offer the 5 years starting at the Traded Player Exception, if that's with maximum 10.5% raise, that amount comes to $25.9 million, if MLE starts at 5 as it did last year (which seems to be close to the case), the 8% maximum raise means a 5 year MLE contract is worth aroudn $29.3 million. Let's think about the math now: The difference between the two offers is a total of $3.4 mil over 5 years-- an average of $680,000 a year, $800K in the first year, gradually decreasing to $540K in the 5th year of the deal. Would Rockets really lose Mike James over paying him a measly $680,000 more a yeear (and especially risk him going to a division foe)? It doesn't seem rational to me. I think Mike's play, at least for the next 2-3 years and maybe even for the last year of the contract, will be worth significantly more than his contract amount. An extra $680K a year doesn't turn his contract from a good one to a bad one. What exactly can you get for $680K a year? Not even Ryan Bowen. Now, I bet that Mike and his agent Bill knows this, too, and that's why they are betting Rockets will budge. Mike said it in the first interview about how they are getting close, he's just waiting for the final $680K a year. So, c'mon Les, CD, Morey... call Bill Duffy and get it done, you can afford $680 friggin thousand dollars a year more. _______________________________________________________________ The only other reson the Rockets might be holding out is that they have other targets for all or part of the MLE and they prefer these FA to guys you have to trade for with the TE. I don't know if the preference is strong enough for them to decide against signing Mike James, though.
When I read what you said about Cuban and Avery drilling it into his head a mental picture of that scene immediately popped into my head. Avery and Cuban, like little kids desperate for him to join their team, trying to make it personal by telling him that if he goes back to the Rockets he is going to get burned again by them. I can just see the three of them in an office, with Cuban and James seated while Avery paces the room and drills into Mike's head how he should hate Houston and how the Mavs would treat him with more respect. To me though, I think the Mavs are 4th on the list. I think the Rockets and Heat are probably at the top, followed by the T-Wolves. There is no way he is going to see the court time he wants in Dallas...definitely not enough attention for him there.
Theyre trying to split the mle between other holes and get more depth and use the TE on james. Because with the TE u can only get one player(i think) whose salary is less than 4.2
Maybe we shouldn't read that much into his demeanor. A lot of people are in a surly mood when they get back from Las Vegas.
For once luck came my way...I was at Intercontinental airport picking up my GF when Mike James came down the escalator. Channel 2 news was there waiting for him and I heard Mario Williams was there too but I didn't see him. I saw John McClain as well. MJ seem really suprised to see cameras waiting for him but sadly not many people recognized him. Lost of people were asking who he was. He was really nice and let me take a pic with him. The quality is not very good because it is from my camerca phone. I told him that we missed him last season and hope to see him in a Rockets uni this season. He said "I really appreciate that."
Yep, I'd be more concerned of a MJ and D-Wade combo than a J.E.T. and MJ one. Rivaldo, thanks for sharing your picture with us!
You can split the TE as well. The problem is you gotta get a player the other team wants to trade (or at least sign and trade). Those may be harder to pull off, especially for the sign and trades, since that other team has to have some incentive to make the deal happen. For example, if they wanted to get Jarron Collins at $3 mil a year.. with part of the MLE, they just have to get Jarron to agree. If they want to use part of the TE to do it, they need to convice the Utah Jazz, too.
Seeing Tmac hit those game winners gives me chills! I cant wait to see him play once again and i hope we get MJ because rite now we are a second round playoff team with him and a few others we would and could be a finals team! I cant wait til october 11th!
It sure is fun trying to guess what is going to happen isn't it. There is no telling what is going to happen, but damn this is fun!!!
Rivaldo2181, you will be crowned the MVP (Most Valued Posters) for 06-07 season here if Mike James decided to play with Rockets.
There's a third option he could be PO'd about. Behind the scenes, Toronto and Houston could be having a tug-of-war with the parameters of a SnT.
Ok..if the Raptors wanted the trade exception plus a first round pick would you give it to them for James? Lottery protected first round pick in 2008? Yes. A 2007 first round pick? That's tougher for me since it is supposed to be such a great draft.
