DMC wants Trade or Max

[rockymac52]

Nope. The MLE and BAE count against the cap. In order to have the cap room to sign Cousins, we have to first relinquish the MLE and BAE. Once we relinquish them to sign Cousins, we can't turn around and unrelinquish them to sign more players.

After using all our cap room on Cousins, Patterson, etc. we'd have only vet minimum exceptions.

What about the room exception, or whatever that's called? Wouldn't that apply here?

No. That's just a mini-sized version of the normal MLE that luxtax paying teams can utilized. (Luxtax teams can't utilize the full MLE.) It still has the same restrictions as the MLE.

From Larry Coon's Salary Cap FAQ:

ROOM MID-LEVEL EXCEPTION -- This exception is available only to teams that drop far enough below the cap to use cap room, and lose their Bi-Annual, Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level and Taxpayer Mid-Level exceptions (see question number 26). This exception cannot be used if the team has already used the Bi-Annual, Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level or Taxpayer Mid-Level exceptions. This exception becomes available once the team salary drops far enough that the team loses its other exceptions, and expires following the last day of the regular season.

This exception allows a team to sign any free agent, starting at up to the following amounts:
Season First-year salary
2011-12 $2.500 million
2012-13 $2.575 million
2013-14 $2.652 million
2014-15 $2.732 million
2015-16 $2.814 million
2016-17 $2.898 million
2017-18 $2.985 million
2018-19 $3.075 million
2019-20 $3.167 million
2020-21 $3.262 million

This exception may be split and given to multiple players. It may be used for contracts up to two years in length, with raises up to 4.5% of the salary in the first year of the contract. Signing a player to a multi-year contract does not affect a team's ability to use this exception every year -- for example, a team can use this exception to sign a player to a two-year contract, and use it again the following year to sign another player. Also see question number 26 for more information on the availability and use of this exception.

Once a team has used this exception, it can no longer use the Bi-Annual, Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level or Taxpayer Mid-Level exception.

So we would be able to offer a 1-2 year contract starting at about $2.7 million in year 1. Not a whole lot of money, but better than only having the vet minimum.

[pancakes3]

That's barely enough to stock a bench of Price/Martin/Temple d-leaguers.

I really honestly do not believe that Cousins is high-risk for us. For a team that's banking on a headcase to be their #1 guy, yes. Beware. The jailblazers, spreewell's teams, marbury's teams, Philly signing Bynum to be their cornerstone, etc. However if your headcase is a #2 or even #3 guy? You can easily win. No team built around Rodman or Birdman can win a championship but teams with Rodman and Birdman have won championships.

[rockymac52]

That's barely enough to stock a bench of Price/Martin/Temple d-leaguers.

I really honestly do not believe that Cousins is high-risk for us. For a team that's banking on a headcase to be their #1 guy, yes. Beware. The jailblazers, spreewell's teams, marbury's teams, Philly signing Bynum to be their cornerstone, etc. However if your headcase is a #2 or even #3 guy? You can easily win. No team built around Rodman or Birdman can win a championship but teams with Rodman and Birdman have won championships.

The $2.7 million per year for 1-2 years doesn't look like much, and you're right, it's not. It might be enough to sign a sliiiight improvement over AJ Price at PG, maybe. Or it just secures Price once again. Then we fill out the rest of the roster with 2nd round draft picks, and minimum salary guys. But I think you're exaggerating the amount of guys we'd have to sign with these minimum deals.

We'd have a very solid 4 man rotation down low of Nene, Cousins, Patterson, and whoever we pick with our 2014 1st round pick. Then we'd have a great 3 man rotation on the wings with Beal, Porter, and Webster. We'd probably need to add a player that could play about 10 MPG at SG. Then we have Wall, who takes care of most of the PG minutes, leaving about 10-12 MPG at PG that we'd need to fill in. So we have a very solid foundation of Wall, Beal, Porter, Webster, Nene, Cousins, Patterson, and our 2014 1st round pick. That's a solid 8 man rotation. Most NBA teams don't go much further than 8 men deep, other than the bench warmers who come in during garbage time.

We could use what's left of our cap space, depending on how much Patterson ends up costing, or the room MLE, to sign AJ Price or a slightly better veteran PG. That takes care of the 10-12 minutes backing up Wall at PG, and depending on which backup PG we sign, that guy might be able to take on the other 10 minutes at SG. Or we fill out the roster with some of the regulars, like Cartier Martin and Garrett Temple. These guys leave plenty to be desired, but for your 10th and 11th men, you could certainly do a lot worse. Then next season we could add in another 1st round pick and an MLE player to fully round out the roster. Maybe pick up a quality backup PG/combo guard, or another project player at any position. We'll have plenty of options going forward.

[sfam]

I don't want anyone who has the realistic potential to thermonuclear. No Ron Artest style brawls for me, if you please. DMC is a spoiled cancer who spreads his issues to the rest of the team and surrounding media.

No thank you.

[asindc]

I don't want anyone who has the realistic potential to thermonuclear. No Ron Artest style brawls for me, if you please. DMC is a spoiled cancer who spreads his issues to the rest of the team and surrounding media.

No thank you.

Truth. I can't believe anyone actually wants that knucklehead. Shades of Isiah Rider. Let him be some other team's problem.

[Ruzious]

Maybe the best comparison of Cousins' makeup is to a young Rasheed Wallace. He won a lot during his NBA career. Actually, looking at Sheed's stats, I'm surprised at how unimpressive his production and efficiency stats were - particularly with Detroit.

[asindc]

Maybe the best comparison of Cousins' makeup is to a young Rasheed Wallace. He won a lot during his NBA career. Actually, looking at Sheed's stats, I'm surprised at how unimpressive his production and efficiency stats were - particularly with Detroit.

I've always thoght of Rasheed as more of a hothead than a knucklehead. There is a difference.

[sfam]

I don't want anyone who has the realistic potential to thermonuclear. No Ron Artest style brawls for me, if you please. DMC is a spoiled cancer who spreads his issues to the rest of the team and surrounding media.

No thank you.

Truth. I can't believe anyone actually wants that knucklehead. Shades of Isiah Rider. Let him be some other team's problem.

I'm just always voting NO for the Wizards acquiring perennial Knucklehead of the Year candidates. This is never a good idea. I like taking risks as well as the next person (I want us to draft Bennett, for instance), but acquiring knuckleheads are like allowing your 11 year-old play with firecrackers. Yes, it might work out OK, but if it did, it was because you were stupid lucky.

[dobrojim]

Maybe the best comparison of Cousins' makeup is to a young Rasheed Wallace. He won a lot during his NBA career. Actually, looking at Sheed's stats, I'm surprised at how unimpressive his production and efficiency stats were - particularly with Detroit.

for a guy with all-star level talent, he didn't make a whole lot of all-star teams.