I'll tell you what the Warriors need!

[Eleutherios]

First get rid of Nelly as couch, trade: Baron, Pietrus, and Harrington. Then they need to grab Yi Jianlian, Love, and Jeff Van Gundy, and play Wright and Belinelli every game! Finally, you can thank me when they are the Champions in 2010.

Id go along with it if I we werent getting crap in return.

[kevin44]

Enough with Pietrus he is a bench player that's it. Arenas opted out of his contract, so all we have to do is pay him. Cohan won't go over the cap and with Nellie talking about playing the young players be prepared for a rough season. The Lakers, Hornets, and Spurs are going to be a force in the west for years. Even if we brought back our same team from last year and maybe add a few new cheap bench players we would be lucky to get into playoffs.

[Chris Porter's Hair]

Enough with Pietrus he is a bench player that's it. Arenas opted out of his contract, so all we have to do is pay him. Cohan won't go over the cap and with Nellie talking about playing the young players be prepared for a rough season. The Lakers, Hornets, and Spurs are going to be a force in the west for years. Even if we brought back our same team from last year and maybe add a few new cheap bench players we would be lucky to get into playoffs.

Not that simple. We can't just pay him whatever we want, even if Cohan wants to go over the cap. In the absence of a sign and trade, we can only offer him whatever we have available under the cap (i.e. nothing), or offer him an exception like the mid-level (which he wouldn't take).

[kevin44]

Actually it is that simple. The cap is around 60 mil with a tax level close to 70 mil. Right now we are under the cap with a total payout of 46.8 mil. Sign Arenas and backload the deal, like most are in the NBA. After he is signed we then resign Ellis & Andris. Add some new bench and start to develop Wright and Belinelli. This year would be lost with all the new players and playing the young guys, but then next season we could be a top 4 team.

[Abyss Impact]

Enough with Pietrus he is a bench player that's it.

Um no.

[floppymoose]

Right now we are under the cap with a total payout of 46.8 mil.

Does that include the cap hold for Biedrins, Monta, and the draft picks?

[Sleepy51]

Not that simple. We can't just pay him whatever we want, even if Cohan wants to go over the cap. In the absence of a sign and trade, we can only offer him whatever we have available under the cap (i.e. nothing), or offer him an exception like the mid-level (which he wouldn't take).

Of Gil signs for MLE simply to play where he wants to play, and have the best chance to win, (even if it's not with us) I will totally rethink my opinion of him as a giant douche and praise his every ballhogging move.

What's the biggest paycut we've seen an NBA player (or any Baseball, football, basketball athlete) in their prime take for the sake of winning? Not the old dudes coat-tailing the Lakers at league minimum, but a legitimate prime athlete turning down a larger offer in order to be a winner? Has anyone actually done that ever?

[Mylie10]

I don't think Nash took a pay cut, but he probably could have made more.

Didn't Steve Young restructure his deals for the Niners? Not sure. Brett Favre also restructured, I believe.

I'm not fact checking so if RO wants to lambast me it's fine.

[Sleepy51]

I don't think Nash took a pay cut, but he probably could have made more.

Didn't Steve Young restructure his deals for the Niners? Not sure. Brett Favre also restructured, I believe.

I'm not fact checking so if RO wants to lambast me it's fine.

From an admirable standpoint young and Favre cutting their own salary to win certainly qualifies, but I was more looking for a competitive bidding situation though. An instance where a free agent took the lesser of two offers because of competitive prospects, loyalty or genuine "aw shucks, I don't need that much money'ness." I wouldn't be totally flabbergasted if it has happened, but I just can't remember it.

I mean, teams do have the right to match, but forcing the match can of course compromise a team's ability to compete for other talent. Has anyone just taken one for the team, and left the bigger offer on the table when actually staring at the dough?

Did Duncan turn down a bigger offer when he signed his second deal? That seems vaguely familiar, but I can't remember for sure.

[Mylie10]

John Stockton comes to mind, but I really can't remember a guy who for sure took less. Maybe in baseball?

[Sleepy51]

John Stockton comes to mind, but I really can't remember a guy who for sure took less. Maybe in baseball?

It would have had to be Stockton wouldn't it? Effin choir boy!

[Chris Porter's Hair]

Actually it is that simple. The cap is around 60 mil with a tax level close to 70 mil. Right now we are under the cap with a total payout of 46.8 mil. Sign Arenas and backload the deal, like most are in the NBA. After he is signed we then resign Ellis & Andris. Add some new bench and start to develop Wright and Belinelli. This year would be lost with all the new players and playing the young guys, but then next season we could be a top 4 team.

I hope you are correct, but I don't think you are. This link from the salary cap thread above would suggest that by the time you factor in cap holds and future congressmen that are still on our payroll, we're at around $58m, so we could offer Gil more with the mid-level than we could under the cap. We could renounce a few guys, and clear some more room, but it doesn't seem feasible to offer Agent 0 what he'd want, and if we did we'd probably end up with 4 or 5 minimum salary flunkies rounding out the roster.

re: voluntary pay cuts
Magic took one to make room for Shaq, as I recall correctly. Payton and Malone playing at veterans minimum to play with Shaq and Kobe come into the discussion. Not too many examples, for sure, though.

[Chris Porter's Hair]

Sigh. Sorry - tried to fix that busted URL a few times, but my edits won't take. Says it saved, and comes back the same as it started.

[floppymoose]

I was able to fix it, CPH.

[Sleepy51]

Actually it is that simple. The cap is around 60 mil with a tax level close to 70 mil. Right now we are under the cap with a total payout of 46.8 mil. Sign Arenas and backload the deal, like most are in the NBA. After he is signed we then resign Ellis & Andris. Add some new bench and start to develop Wright and Belinelli. This year would be lost with all the new players and playing the young guys, but then next season we could be a top 4 team.

I hope you are correct, but I don't think you are. This link from the salary cap thread above would suggest that by the time you factor in cap holds and future congressmen that are still on our payroll, we're at around $58m, so we could offer Gil more with the mid-level than we could under the cap. We could renounce a few guys, and clear some more room, but it doesn't seem feasible to offer Agent 0 what he'd want, and if we did we'd probably end up with 4 or 5 minimum salary flunkies rounding out the roster.

re: voluntary pay cuts
Magic took one to make room for Shaq, as I recall correctly. Payton and Malone playing at veterans minimum to play with Shaq and Kobe come into the discussion. Not too many examples, for sure, though.

The Laker leeches don't count. Magic does, but we still haven't come up with a free agent in the thick of their earning power turning down a more lucrative deal. I'm not even looking for a star here. Give me a Eddie Najera type player not grabbing the cash. The thought hit me today in the context of hating on players for trying to get paid. I'm just wondering when anyone didn't take an extra million or two when it was a career midst contract.

[Mylie10]

Actually it is that simple. The cap is around 60 mil with a tax level close to 70 mil. Right now we are under the cap with a total payout of 46.8 mil. Sign Arenas and backload the deal, like most are in the NBA. After he is signed we then resign Ellis & Andris. Add some new bench and start to develop Wright and Belinelli. This year would be lost with all the new players and playing the young guys, but then next season we could be a top 4 team.

I hope you are correct, but I don't think you are. This link from the salary cap thread above would suggest that by the time you factor in cap holds and future congressmen that are still on our payroll, we're at around $58m, so we could offer Gil more with the mid-level than we could under the cap. We could renounce a few guys, and clear some more room, but it doesn't seem feasible to offer Agent 0 what he'd want, and if we did we'd probably end up with 4 or 5 minimum salary flunkies rounding out the roster.

re: voluntary pay cuts
Magic took one to make room for Shaq, as I recall correctly. Payton and Malone playing at veterans minimum to play with Shaq and Kobe come into the discussion. Not too many examples, for sure, though.

The Laker leeches don't count. Magic does, but we still haven't come up with a free agent in the thick of their earning power turning down a more lucrative deal. I'm not even looking for a star here. Give me a Eddie Najera type player not grabbing the cash. The thought hit me today in the context of hating on players for trying to get paid. I'm just wondering when anyone didn't take an extra million or two when it was a career midst contract.

I'd have to say that Nash could have gotten more. Am I wrong? Maybe there were no other offers, but it seems like he wanted to be in Phoenix more than say making tons somewhere undesirable.

[kevin44]

That link looks right, but maybe I don't fully understand the cap. Right now we are under the cap so we should be able to sign Arenas. After signing him we would be close to the cap with enough $ to sign draft picks and a few bench players. Now we can go over the cap to resign Ellis & Andris.

[Sleepy51]

I'd have to say that Nash could have gotten more. Am I wrong? Maybe there were no other offers, but it seems like he wanted to be in Phoenix more than say making tons somewhere undesirable.

I'm not recalling Nash turning down any greater offers. It would be nice if there were some definitive documentation on the subject. Otherwise, it should be pretty much banned from NBA discussions in the future.