speedythief

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2932279

Also, "the mid-level exception for over-the-cap teams is $5,356,000, and the luxury tax threshold will be $67,865,000."

The Raps are over the cap.

In related news, Rashard Lewis will get an average of $21M a year for six years from the Magic, if they sign-and-trade, just reaffirming the fact that nobody drafts up worse contracts than the Orlando Magic. Nobody!

shookem

Hmmm, but really 21M is a far price to have to live in Disney world.

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ballocks

i actually thought we had a shot at rashard this summer. but can you imagine giving him that sort of coin?

anyway, i like rashard lewis, man. i really like him. i think he'll continue to be a good player in this league. that said, i can't help myself from seeing the 'bust' label come charging for him within a few years, maybe months. he was perhaps the most sought-after free agent this year but that doesn't mean anything in and of itself (imo). he is simply not (imo) a top 10 talent. he's good, but a top 10 talent is something else.

now, the magic would like to believe that he is, but paying him more money for that hope absolutely never works. it's like, i want to get taller- so i'll try mastering mathematics to do it. one has very little to do with the other. a better contract will not make him a better player. i thought someone would do the same thing (make the same mistake) with darko this summer, but the bees have yet to come for his honeycomb. still, he's got time, so we'll see what we have around the corner.

rashard, though, man, i feel sort of bad for him. he's got major $$$ now, i know, but if he's as straight-headed and wise as i think he is, his reputation (and the negative energy around him) could eat him alive for the next six years. some people would perceive his 2007 summer as having been very rewarding; short-term? absolutely. long-term? that's different, imo. and remember, the long-term has a longer life than the short-term. you can't simply forget about it.

peace

shookem

Dwight & Rashard is a pretty badass combo though. There's lots of things you could run with those guys on the court.

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Flush

So D-ho will demand equal money, when he re-ups. That means AT LEAST 42 million between those two players.

Which means they have 13-15 million to spend on the remaining roster spots? Wow.

narrator

The salary cap will go up, though. And it's not the cap that matters, but the luxury tax, which is $67.5 mil. Also, unlike the NHL's stupid cap, the amount paid is the amount charged to the cap (the NHL charges the average value of the contract to the cap; so Crosby's $45 mil over 5 years is charged $9 mil each year even though they could conceivably structure the contract so he gets paid $41 mil the first year and $1 mil each year after). Also, I think Howard's starting salary will be lower because he's younger (the NBA has a sliding minimum/maximum salary level based on years pro, if I recall correctly).

Anyway, a max contract is too much for Lewis. There are very, very few players worth a max contract right now (I can only think of 2 off the top of my head - Bryant and Duncan and, possibly, James if he decides to care). No matter how it's sliced, they just boned their cap for the next 5 years.

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speedythief

Giving $20M+ a year to a guy who very arguably isn't a top-20 player? Ludicrous.

shookem

Hey, I'm not saying it was money well spent, just that those two could be dangerous.

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