(twitter) Erick Dampier has been released by the Bobcats

He's worth more than the vet min, I think he'll wait the Heat out looking for a better deal. Whatever happened to the premium that clubs would pay for bigs like Dampier, remember the 50M deal Adonal Foyle signed with the Warriors some years back, seems like the NBA isn't paying the big men like they used to.

 

Ironically, the Warriors gave Foyle that deal because they panicked about losing him when Dampier left for the Mavs.

 

Dampier to the Heat would be a solid move for both sides. Damp is a classic case of: useful role player that's hard to take seriously because of how ridiculously overpaid he is. Plus, it doesn't help that he essentially got Steve Nash's money from Dallas.

That's all water under the bridge now. He's a big body to throw at Dwight Howard that can also punish you on the offensive glass if you don't box him out and guess what....he's not getting $12M per year to do it anymore. I'd take this guy on my team in a heartbeat.

 

Since the Bobcats are in save money mode, the discussion should be how we can get Gerald Wallace for a song.

 

No, the Bobcats waived Dampier so they wouldn't have to make stupid trades like dumping their best player.

I will note, however, that in the process of getting the temporary payroll relief of Erick Dampier's contract, the Bobcats actually took on MORE long-term salary, trading the expiring contract of Tyson Chandler for Dampier, the two years left on Eduardo Najera's contract, and the three years remaining on the ghastly contract the Bobcats originally gave to Matt Carroll.

 

Was gonna comment on that

Charlotte blocked a trade with Toronto that woulda brought in Jose Calderon and Reggie Evans with Chandler and Boris Diaw outgoing, but they didnt like Calderon's 10% trade kicker. http://twitter.com/STEIN_LINE_HQ/statuses/18454053377

In the Dampier trade, along with getting those longer term players, they KEPT Boris Diaw at 2 more years for $9 mil a year

So if my calculation is right, instead of paying Calderon for 3 years and Evans for 1 at $35 mil total, they're paying that same $35 mil amount to Diaw, Najera and Matt Carroll a combined 6 more years.

So yeah they basically added Najera and Carroll for the chance to shop Dampier, instead of just letting Chandler walk and not acquiring anything? Where's the savings in this lol.

 

I dunno how to do math?

 

What this means is one less option for the Nuggets and Hornets when it comes time to trade their superstars. This is good for the Rockets.

 

Agreed. I guess they were hoping for a "home run" move, but all they got offered was probably dumping of bad contracts. Overall, a kind of dumb risk to take, I think. If a good salary eating Damp trade was out there, Dallas probably would have held on to Damp.

Cats were at $78 mil with Damp. Without him, they are around $65 mil, meaning they could have taken on about $5 mil in salary and without paying the tax. Taking on any more than that probably means that guy would have to be pretty special to justify the tax hit + salary. Guess no one like that was being offered.

 

Bobcats rationale for waiving Erick Dampier...
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Injury risk was a factor in Bobcats waiving Dampier


By Rick Bonnell
rbonnell@charlotteobserver.com
Posted: Wednesday, Sep. 15, 2010


Charlotte Bobcats management was more fearful of Erick Dampier suffering a serious injury than hopeful of finding a suitable trade.

That, a team source described, was the incentive for Tuesday’s decision to waive center Dampier, rather than continue searching for a deal two weeks out from training camp.

The source, speaking anonymously because of the sensitivity of the subject, explained that while Dampier’s $13 million isn’t guaranteed for performance, it would be for health. Thus, if Dampier suffered a season-ending injury, the Bobcats would have been liable for $13 million, plus a potential $7 million in NBA-imposed luxury tax.

With all that at stake, the team abandoned their search for a trade that would both reduce its payroll to below the tax threshold and acquire another asset.

The Bobcats acquired Dampier in mid-July, as part of a five-player trade with the Dallas Mavericks. Though Matt Carroll and Eduardo Najera both came to the Bobcats and Alexis Ajinca became a Maverick, the deal was essentially Tyson Chandler-for-Dampier’s unguaranteed salary.

“You had to know we weren’t going to keep (Dampier’s) contract in its current state,’’ Bobcats general manager Rod Higgins said Wednesday. “We didn’t see a good deal out there that would help our ball club and be fiscally responsible.’’

By “fiscally responsible,’’ Higgins meant any trade involving Dampier’s contract would have had to include payroll reduction for the Bobcats from $77 million to below this season’s $70 million tax threshold.

Teams that finish the upcoming season paying more than $70 million in player salaries will owe the league a dollar-for-dollar tax on the overage. Higgins reaffirmed Wednesday that the Bobcats have no intention of being a tax-payer for 2010-11.

“There’s no question,’’ Higgins said, “because the owner thinks that’s very important.’’ The owner – Michael Jordan – has often said it’s foolish to pay luxury tax on a roster anything short of a championship contender.

The problem involved all the financial commitments the Bobcats made to reach the playoffs last season. Last spring they were on the books in 2010-11 for about $68 million – close to the tax threshold – distributed among 11 players.

“We made the playoffs and now we want to build on that success,’’ Higgins said. “If you look at our books prior to the draft, we were at a certain dollar figure and still needed to sign (at least) two more players.’’

Since then the Bobcats have added point guard Shaun Livingston and big man Kwame Brown. Those signings would have thrown the Bobcats into tax zone without the payroll-trim waiving Dampier represented.

“If we’d stayed where we were, a guy like Shaun Livingston couldn’t have signed for the contract he ended up getting,’’ Higgins said.

Higgins disputes the perception by some fans and media that the Bobcats essentially traded a starting center for nothing but payroll relief. He said that presupposes Chandler would have started the coming season after making just 27 starts last season. And it disregards the need to add Livingston and Brown.

Also, Higgins disputed the notion the team didn’t search hard enough for an acceptable trade. While the Bobcats couldn’t include Dampier in a multi-player trade until Monday under NBA rules, Higgins said they explored numerous scenarios since July, and couldn’t find an appealing one that included dropping payroll below the tax threshold.

“There were some trades that we talked about,’’ Higgins said, “but many of those trades would have put us way over the luxury tax, which is not something we were interested in doing.’’

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Read more: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/20...sk-was-a-factor-in-bobcats.html#ixzz0zdHkih8i

 

From a Charlotte Bobcats blog....
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Bobcats waive Dampier, move the big contract they had to move

by David A. Arnott

Waiving Erick Dampier isn't the worst thing in the world. The Bobcats couldn't keep him at his full contract, and there were few, if any, teams willing to offer something worthwhile for him. After all, which team in the league is more in need of financial relief than the Cats? Why would any other team offer a young player in exchange for a salary dump unless there was another strong force at work? Ergo, Damp got waived. If it's true that they're recouping $26 million that would have gone to Dampier and the league (luxury tax money), then it's even more understandable.

Star-divide

So, as it stands, we're looking at Nazr Mohammed or Kwame Brown as the starting center, unless -- and I think this is more likely than his reputation would suggest -- Larry Brown decides to go all Mike D'Antoni on us and start Boris Diaw at center. In many ways, I'm sympathetic to that route, mainly because it would put our five best players on the floor. If D.J. Augustin is at point guard, that could also be good reason to play Diaw in order to put some play creation burden on him -- point center! -- and let Augustin shoot more.

Rick Bonnell sought out the bright side, but I don't think he emphasized enough that it's not so much about being able to make moves going forward as it is about halting a backward slide. Waiving Dampier is payroll relief that keeps the team from further spiraling. Remember, this was the franchise that was hemorrhaging $35 million last season.

We're shaky at center and shaky at point guard. If clarity doesn't come, then this is debt being paid on past trades. As I wrote in June 2009:

While everyone else is trying to clear cap space for 2010, we may as well acknowledge that we won't be players in that game and instead try to find bargains among the teams that want to dump talented players signed to longer contracts. The problem is that we didn't really get all that more talented, and now, with the team pushing up against the luxury tax if they use their full mid-level exception, we're pretty much tied to improving the team through the draft unless we can move a large contract... which everyone else is trying to do.

Well, we've moved our large contract. The next step will have to wait.

http://www.rufusonfire.com/2010/9/15/1690115/bobcats-waive-dampier-move-the-big#storyjump

 

It's not a given that Erick Dampier will take his talents to South Beach. Dampier may be persuaded by a larger offer from another team, ala Raja Bell, who joined the Utah Jazz for more money instead of playing for a contender in the LA Lakers.

Some factors to consider:

1. Erick Dampier didn't get paid for his final year, he was waived outright without receiving financial compensation.

2. Erick Dampier is 36 years old, and this may be his last pay day considering the high probability of a lock out next season.

3. If Dampier joins a team for more money, and that team isn't a contender, that team may very likely take into account Dampier's age, and waive Erick Dampier so could join a contender like Miami later in the season. It's a win-win for Dampier because he could play for a contender while still getting paid.

 

Larry Coon doesn't think Erick Dampier will sign with the Heat.
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Do you think Dampier will sign with the heat?

I'm guessing no. Damp had a NG'd contract, so it's not like an ordinary waived player who still has g'd salary coming in from his old team and can afford to sign for the min with a new team. Damp will probably be looking for he MLE, and Miami doesn't have one to give...

http://twitter.com/larrycoon

 

GO TO THE THUNDER!

 

Heat (who else?) front-runners for Dampier
Posted on: September 15, 2010

The Miami Heat emerged Wednesday as the front-runner to land free-agent center Erick Dampier, who was released a day earlier by Charlotte in a luxury-tax move, a person with knowledge of the situation told CBSSports.com.

Dampier can't officially arrange a visit with the Heat until he clears waivers, but it is believed that Heat president Pat Riley views Dampier as a key supporting piece to add to his new Big Three of Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh. Dampier, 35, would be an upgrade over Joel Anthony and Jamaal Magloire and would fill the final missing role for Miami's championship run.

Miami can only offer Dampier the veteran's minimum of about $1.4 million, but it is believed that Dampier is open to accepting less money for the chance to compete for a championship. Among the handful of teams with the full mid-level exception of $5.8 million available, the only potential championship contender is Dallas -- and a reunion with the Mavericks is difficult to fathom. Other teams that have expressed interest are Houston, Toronto and New Jersey, with the Rockets apparently hottest in their pursuit.

The Bobcats released Dampier Wednesday to get out from under his non-guaranteed $13 million salary. Part of the concern, according to a source, was being on the hook for Dampier's salary if he got injured.

 

http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/11838893/24605072

 

Say what?!?!?

 

haven't checked other posts, but rockets offered 4M for 2 years.

 

Going after Dampier is a good move for the Rockets.

 

In theory,Yes.

He could gripe about minutes,if Yao remains healthy(unlikely though) and with Miller around. He can be useful,but he is lazy. I admit the Rockets haven't got much to lose if they use up the LLE on him.