They can't take Lebron at 21-22, Wade at 14, Bosh at 14, Gasol at 10, Granger at 2, McRoberts with the MLE, and then pay out the rest of their roster spots with minimum salaries?

Not if Houston is offering 22+ for Bosh.

Well, if Bosh went to Houston and Gasol went to Miami and they still had 10-15 million to play with, that isn't a bad trade off for Miami.

quote:

---

Well, if Bosh went to Houston and Gasol went to Miami and they still had 10-15 million to play with, that isn't a bad trade off for Miami.

---

But bosh isn't leaving if LeBron is staying

Maybe, but then you take me back to my first post on this page.

[This message has been edited by aggie_2001_2005 (edited 7/7/2014 3:40p).]

Obviously Gasol isn't an option if bosh is still there

Why not? If he's listening to OKC's offer for 5, why wouldn't he listen to Miami for something in the 8-10 range?

Napier-Cole
Wade-Allen
Lebron-Granger
Bosh-McRoberts
Gasol-Birdman (or anyone 6'9 and taller with a pulse)

That team is easily the favorite to make the Finals out of the East. No other team would even be close. And that assumes no decent vet would come over to take the minimum and chase a title.

[This message has been edited by aggie_2001_2005 (edited 7/7/2014 3:52p).]

quote:

---

quote:

---

Well, if Bosh went to Houston and Gasol went to Miami and they still had 10-15 million to play with, that isn't a bad trade off for Miami.

---

But bosh isn't leaving if LeBron is staying

---

Money talks. That's a lot of cash to turn down.

quote:

---

Why not? If he's listening to OKC's offer for 5, why wouldn't he listen to Miami for something in the 8-10 range?

---

Because they're virtually the same players.

quote:

---

Why not?

---

Because Miami wouldn't need Gasol if Bosh is still there

That makes no sense. Why could they not use both of them?

Gasol would be a huge upgrade for them at the 5. They aren't getting anyone worth a damn to play that position in Miami if he doesn't go there.

Because they need to address their terrible guard play first?

quote:

---

Because they need to address their terrible guard play first?

---

They need quality depth more than anything. I don't think it really matters what position. They had nothing outside the big 3 and Allen, and that was still enough to win the East.

Having only Bosh and McRoberts down low, they will still get absolutely exposed underneath by SA or OKC in another Finals beatdown.

[This message has been edited by aggie_2001_2005 (edited 7/7/2014 4:08p).]

Yeah, I have to disagree with the people who said Gasol and Bosh could not co-exist. If you had a frontcourt of Gasol, Bosh and LBJ, the backcourt is not a huge issue. With that said though, Gasol is pretty much out the window at this point with McRoberts signing.

"Sports do not build character. They reveal it."
-John Wooden

Channing Frye to the Orlando Magic. 4 years 32M.

If there is anything I know about basketball, it is that the Orlando Magic hate winning.

Channing Frye was 10th in the NBA in ESPN's "real" plus/minus.

How does Bosh leave $50MM on the table to go play 3rd banana on a team with which he's already won 2 championships. Not to mention that Wade's pretty washed up at this point. I'd try and understand if he was a lifelong Miami guy or something, but he's already got the rings.

If he doesn't take Houston's money, someone should get Donald Sterling's expert to declare him incompetent so they can fire his agent for not talking him into the deal.

And speaking of poor washed up Wade. That guy pissed away $42MM of his own money now that Bosh can't come back.

quote:

---

$50MM

---

It'd probably be more like $24-30MM, but still. You'd think if he were that sane, he'd have accepted Houston's offer on the spot, and he didn't.

Also consider that bonus pay / endorsement deals for someone who appears in the Finals every year for 10 years are much more lucrative than those for someone who will get bounced in the 1st or 2nd round most years due to the ridiculous competition level in their conference. So the difference in total take home money might be less than it appears.

[This message has been edited by aggie_2001_2005 (edited 7/7/2014 7:01p).]

[This message has been edited by aggie_2001_2005 (edited 7/7/2014 7:02p).]

[This message has been edited by aggie_2001_2005 (edited 7/7/2014 7:03p).]

Aren't Bosh's and LeBron's max the same? $20.7 in the first year.

They should be because they've both been in the league the same amount of time.

So doesn't that disprove those who said we couldn't reach LeBron's max?

quote:

---

They should be because they've both been in the league the same amount of time.

---

league service time has no bearing on these two's max contract. It's based on their previous contract. They both had the same previous contract

quote:

---

Also consider that bonus pay / endorsement deals for someone who appears in the Finals every year for 10 years are much more lucrative than those for someone who will get bounced in the 1st or 2nd round most years

---

quote:

---

quote:

---

They should be because they've both been in the league the same amount of time.

---

league service time has no bearing on these two's max contract. It's based on their previous contract. They both had the same previous contract

---

Actually, NBA player maximum salary is done by years in the league OR previous year's salary.

Both have been in the league the same number of years and both had the same salary last year. So both have the same maximum salary. Since both have been in the league for 10+ years, they can get a maximum of 35% of the cap (about 22mm based on a 63mm cap figure) OR 105% of his previous salary, which is less than 35% of the cap since both made 19mm last year.

So their maximum salary is based on years in service, which is the same and both have the same maximum salary.

Miami's moves don't scare me at all. They still should get out of the east, but they still don't have enough to beat the west contenders.

Miami cannot clear cap space to sign Gasol for $10M, then use MLE and Bi-annual, it doesn't work that way. If they create the cap space, they lose those exceptions. So to do what you're saying and sign Pau, McRoberts, and Granger, they would have to clear space for all 3, or $17.38M. Add to that the guaranteed contracts of birdman and Cole and the cap hold for LeBron (since he's demanding max salary and his cap hold is less than next year's max salary), and that's another $23.51M.

Assuming a $63.2M salary cap, until the league updates their projection, and Miami is only left with $22.31M to sign Bosh and Wade, so you're talking Bosh starting at $12M and Wade at $10.3M. I don't think that's going to get it done. Plus, by creating the space, now they've lost $7.38M in exceptions that they are using to sign Granger and McRoberts, so really they need to clear out another $7.38M in cap space to get that money back, so now you're talking having just $14.93M to split between Bosh and Wade, which just isn't going to happen or get it done.

So the LeBron + Bosh + Wade + Gasol @$10M + McRoberts + Granger scenario is just not realistic or in play, their only chance at Gasol was getting him to take the MLE.

As for the Rockets, their two biggest upgrade needs are at the 1 and the 4. So if they don't get Bosh (and I don't think they will), I don't see a lot else out there at the 4 (especially a stretch 4 that complements Howard), it wouldn't surprise me to see them go after someone like Bledsoe with a max offer to see if the cheap suns may let him go.

But since mcroberts and granger haven't officially signed can the heat sign the big three first using their cap space and then use the mid level and bi- annual for mcroberts and granger.

quote:

---

But since mcroberts and granger haven't officially signed can the heat sign the big three first using their cap space and then use the mid level and bi- annual for mcroberts and granger.

---

No, what they will probably do is not renounce Lebron, Wade, and Bosh. Then their cap holds take up about $60M, so they're actually over the cap, and they keep their exceptions. Then they re-sign the big 3 using the Bird exceptions, not cap space. You can't clear space and then use bi-annual and MLE, the NBA knows that's a potential loophole and the CBA doesn't allow it.

They do now have a Room Mid-level exception for teams who have cap space, but it's small, only $2.73M this year. Not big enough to sign someone like McRoberts, let alone someone of Pau's caliber.

McRoberts would have been a great fit for Houston. I'm surprised they didn't offer more than Miami, or maybe they did and I just didn't hear about it. Actually, McRoberts is a great fit for almost any team out there. He will really help Miami.

Houston is holding out hope for Bosh/Melo. Can't make big offers to role players and still get a stud.

Why would you use up cap space on McRoberts when you are pursuing all-star caliber free agents? Plus Terrence Jones is better than McRoberts imo

Jones doesn't space the floor as well as McRoberts. But still don't get the love for McRoberts. Jones was more productive than him while playing a much smaller role. And he's still young and cheap.

[This message has been edited by Ryan34 (edited 7/8/2014 9:55a).]