<div class="quote_poster">Quoting mrj18:</div><div class="quote_post">I didn't even know their roster was full. But why couldn't you waive Baker or Norris. Baker = totally ineffective. Norris is good, but with all of the PG's, he probably wont get any minutes at all and right now he's on the injured list. So basically you're paying players who are riding your injury list and your bench and probably will only get garbage minutes. I don't see what the risk is in letting them go. That will give you a chance to sign someone decent and someone who will actually help the team. A yonug player who you can also work with as the years go by is good too.</div> The Rockets are nothing like a rich team that New York is. We probably can't afford to buy out Mutombo's $18 million contract. Spending a whole lot of money on one shot will probably be unwise for a team like us that isn't really well-off, or so I'd presume. If they don't waive Baker, they still have to pay him his money over time, but paying him $10 million or whatever it is all at once might be too much to take.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Trip:</div><div class="quote_post">The Rockets are nothing like a rich team that New York is. We probably can't afford to buy out Mutombo's $18 million contract. Spending a whole lot of money on one shot will probably be unwise for a team like us that isn't really well-off, or so I'd presume. If they don't waive Baker, they still have to pay him his money over time, but paying him $10 million or whatever it is all at once might be too much to take.</div> No, I meant just waive him. You don't have to buy him out all together just let him walk. My logic behind this is Baker will be riding the bench anyway and if he is gone, it wont make much of a difference. Signing a nice yonug big man, or any fairly solid big man will do some good.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting mrj18:</div><div class="quote_post">No, I meant just waive him. You don't have to buy him out all together just let him walk. My logic behind this is Baker will be riding the bench anyway and if he is gone, it wont make much of a difference. Signing a nice yonug big man, or any fairly solid big man will do some good.</div> You understand that by waiving Baker, we would still have to pay his salary right? A buyout just ensures that he doesn't count against your salary cap, but you still have to dish out money both ways.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Trip:</div><div class="quote_post">You understand that by waiving Baker, we would still have to pay his salary right? A buyout just ensures that he doesn't count against your salary cap, but you still have to dish out money both ways.</div> I understand that fully. I just don't understand what the purpose of keeping a 12th man. Either way, he will get garbage minutes and will not have a little role if any. If they let him go, all they will do is waive someone who will play 2 minutes in the little games he'll play, create a roster spot for someone who can actually help the team.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Trip:</div><div class="quote_post">The Rockets are nothing like a rich team that New York is. We probably can't afford to buy out Mutombo's $18 million contract. Spending a whole lot of money on one shot will probably be unwise for a team like us that isn't really well-off, or so I'd presume. If they don't waive Baker, they still have to pay him his money over time, but paying him $10 million or whatever it is all at once might be too much to take.</div> $14 M of Mutombo's contract is shouldered by the Nets. The Rockets only have to pay him $4.5 M for this season. After that he's a free agent. Baker has a $3.8 M contract left for next season while Norris has $ 6 M left good for the next 2 seasons. If the Rockets wants to waive someone if they do add a power forward, Barrett would be the odd man out because he has the cheapest contract worth between 300 - 400 thousand dollars. We can still sign him in if Juwan is back and the temporary PF proves to be ineffective.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting blueracer:</div><div class="quote_post">$14 M of Mutombo's contract is shouldered by the Nets. The Rockets only have to pay him $4.5 M for this season. After that he's a free agent. Baker has a $3.8 M contract left for next season while Norris has $ 6 M left good for the next 2 seasons. If the Rockets wants to waive someone if they do add a power forward, Barrett would be the odd man out because he has the cheapest contract worth between 300 - 400 thousand dollars. We can still sign him in if Juwan is back and the temporary PF proves to be ineffective.</div> So that makes it even better. I wouldn't say waive Barrett, he's nice yonug talent for the future. Baker would still be payed to be a 12th man anyways, so waiving him will not be a big deal and you could pickup another potential Andre Barrett.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting mrj18:</div><div class="quote_post">So that makes it even better. I wouldn't say waive Barrett, he's nice yonug talent for the future. Baker would still be payed to be a 12th man anyways, so waiving him will not be a big deal and you could pickup another potential Andre Barrett.</div> Do we need another point guard like Barrett? More often than not, 10-day contract players never pan out. We already had one of them this season in Brandin Knight, and he didn't even get minutes. James Thomas hasn't fared well on his 10-day endeavors this season, and Corie Blount didn't even put on a NBA uniform yet this season. What gives you the idea that they would give you more productivity than Weatherspoon? Although I am quite confident in Thomas, shelling out $8 million at once to get unlikely relief for 10 days is not a wise move, and that's why you're not seeing a lot of teams do it.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Trip:</div><div class="quote_post">Do we need another point guard like Barrett? More often than not, 10-day contract players never pan out. We already had one of them this season in Brandin Knight, and he didn't even get minutes. James Thomas hasn't fared well on his 10-day endeavors this season, and Corie Blount didn't even put on a NBA uniform yet this season. What gives you the idea that they would give you more productivity than Weatherspoon? Although I am quite confident in Thomas, shelling out $8 million at once to get unlikely relief for 10 days is not a wise move, and that's why you're not seeing a lot of teams do it.</div> By another potential Barrett, I meant someone who was undrafted not a PG, a big man. There is pretty much no risk in it because Baker is useless at this state and he wont playing anyway so it's like he's deriving the spot of someone else who could play or at the very least be a good asset for the future, just like Barrett. I see absolutely no risk invovled at all.
mrj18, I don't know if you're understanding Trip on this one. Its all about the Benjimins!!! You're looking at the issue from a purely on-court perspective. You're talking about waiving people who are playing ineffectively for us to create room for people who can play better. Now as much as that makes sense, there is the money issue. I'm not sure how rich the Rockets are, but according to Trip, they aren't rolling in the dough, so they might not be able to buy out Baker's contract. So if they don't buy out the contract and let him walk, they still have to pay Baker his salary (what ever the hell it is.. i forgot), and if they are paying his salary, then it will count towards the salary cap, which obviously, we can't go over. Therefore, we won't be able to sign any other player unless that players choose to play for the Rockets out os charity. Your ideas don't work in the politics of the game mrj.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting dakeem1:</div><div class="quote_post">mrj18, I don't know if you're understanding Trip on this one. Its all about the Benjimins!!! You're looking at the issue from a purely on-court perspective. You're talking about waiving people who are playing ineffectively for us to create room for people who can play better. Now as much as that makes sense, there is the money issue. I'm not sure how rich the Rockets are, but according to Trip, they aren't rolling in the dough, so they might not be able to buy out Baker's contract. So if they don't buy out the contract and let him walk, they still have to pay Baker his salary (what ever the hell it is.. i forgot), and if they are paying his salary, then it will count towards the salary cap, which obviously, we can't go over. Therefore, we won't be able to sign any other player unless that players choose to play for the Rockets out os charity. Your ideas don't work in the politics of the game mrj.</div> Maybe I'm not understanding. Do the Rockets need to buy him out just to waive him? Can they just pay him as if thy were there...year by year?
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting mrj18:</div><div class="quote_post">Maybe I'm not understanding. Do the Rockets need to buy him out just to waive him? Can they just pay him as if thy were there...year by year?</div> Buying Baker out would mean paying his full contract at once, which would amount to somewhere around $5-8 million. Waiving him would mean we pay him his contract on a monthly basis, but it would mean also that we won't get salary cap relief and might risk having to pay luxury tax if we extend Yao's contract. Houston is not a really basketball crazy market and I doubt we make a lot of profit. I'm not 100% sure on this, but I think the Rockets, like most of the league, are operating on deficits. Maybe someone in the Houston area would understand this better, but waiving or buying out Baker would be a hit financially. That's why I feel the decision to waive Barrett makes much more sense. He was on a minimum contract around $400 000, an amount any team can shoulder.
