<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Thorn said Bruce Ratner, who is expected to be approved by the NBA as the new Nets owner in the next few days, has merely asked Thorn to work toward getting his team's payroll under the NBA's luxury tax threshold. And he has not put a deadline on when it has to happen.</div> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">"We'd like to have a team that's not a (luxury) tax payer," Thorn said. "We'll work to get in that direction over the course of time. It's not something that's necessarily going to have to be done this year."</div> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Getting under the luxury tax threshold for the 2005-06 season will be much easier, because Kerry Kittles' monstrous contract ($9.8 million this season) and Dikembe Mutombo's even more monstrous buyout ($14.3 million this season) finally will come off the books. The Nets are committed to only $26.6 million worth of contracts for that season.</div> Read Me!! this article makes me feel a little bit better. it is not worth letting one of our big three go b/c he doesnt want to pay lux tax for this year when next year, as you see from the quote above, we will only have $26.6mill plus whatever kmart gets. this makes me think that we will keep kmart and have to pay lux tax for one season where next season we will have a boatload of money come off the books b/c of kk/debo/deke/zo and i think lu. im sure rod will try and package kk and possibly debo to maybe get a cheap player or two or a player and some cash. i don't mind if we have to take a step backwards this upcoming year, as long as we keep our big3. next year, we can sign FA and surround our big three with good talent to try and get a championship and b/c the best in the east again. i would hope we could get something for debo instead of letting him go next yr and same thing goes for kk. but if he stays this yr, then we will probably resign him for a much cheaper contract if he agrees. so, once again we can afford to keep kmart. whether you agree or disagree about kmart being a max player is not the issue. we CAN match any offer and he WANTS to STAY in NJ. im pretty sure 1+1=2,so he should and hopefully will have New Jersey across his chest next year. this article is showing that hopefully ratner will let rod handle the show b/c he knows what he is doing. Rod will make the right moves and keep kmart b/c he knows how important kmart is to our success and he is only getting better. he doesnt have the size as kg/td,but his numbers are rising towards thiers. eventhough those two carry a team while kidd carrys the team here. but you know kidd is going to make/let kmart and/or rj become the leader as the years go on.
I love kidd lets keeps him but as long as kidd is here KMart wont be known as a leader on a Role player
kmart doesnt need to be a leader now. he is our emotional leader and will kidd still around it doesnt put as much pressure on kmart to have to do everything. the nets have balance,which is good.
this article is not so optimistic http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/stor...rian&id=1832081 <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">They're creeping closer to bringing this beleaguered franchise back to the old days, when ownership was chaos, when stars were let go, when nobody knew who was coming, and who was going.</div> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">there was never discussion about his desire to construct a championship contender. All he's talked about -- and all he's concentrated on -- is a $2.5 billion development plan in downtown Brooklyn that would include a new Nets arena. The Nets won't be a passion for Ratner, just a pawn to get a big real estate deal done.</div> sad to see if this is actually what shakes loose.
man, you really are the harbringer of doom. But to stay optimistic, I would like to believe that Ratner's only concern is to go below the lux tax which will be done next season. I think it's still Thorn who'll make the personnel decisions.
It a isnt good sign when new ownership & the teams top executive isnt on the same page. It just gives me the feeling that all h*ll is about to break loose in NJ. I just hope tat we find out what direct we are going in real soon. Bruce Ratnrs side of things keeps turning down interviews & reporters so we dont know how hereally feels about the franchise or in what direction he wants the franchise to go. All we can do is go by what reporters say he wants to do, & thats cut cost, which will turn us into the clippers east as said in the news article. I just hope we get some good parts for Kittles & not just take anything,just so we dont have to pay him 10mill next year. We must get parts that can either help this team get over the championship hump next year. Or help with the move toward getting younger, if thats the direction Ratner wants to go.
you still gotta believe that even if he is not doing this for the benefit for the nets franchise and just himself, that if he doesn't keep the nets top guns and keep them competitive for the upcoming years before the move to brooklyn, then he will make NO money on this move. he needs a championship-exciting nets team to be playing inbrooklyn or ratner will be screwed and it will make him look like a bad business man. im sure he has thought of this so i can't see him saying lets get rid of a championship-calibur team so we can be under the luxtax this year when we will be under it next year and we can stay under it from then on. just seems extremely stupid. then again, i don't know ratner. he could be a stupid,selfish business man.
