Salary cap increase for the 2014 season

[CWebb2491]

Rumors are that the salary cap will be around 62-63 million in 2014 that increase will definitely help us out in keeping the big 3 and possibly getting a nice piece to join. If im not mistaken the salary cap this year was around 57 mil so that 5-6 mil increase will help alot. I also believe we get our full mid level this year. It would be a dream to get Trevor Ariza to sign for the mid level. But ultimately do you guys feel Lebron will opt out and sign a deal starting at around 16 million to help build around him? I feel if he decides to do that Bosh and Wade will do the same, Wade especially, considering he does not play a full season. The article:

http://hoopshype.com/rumors.htm#sthash.vbA3RK51.dpuf

[ReturnofMVP3]

Carmelo is coming and LeBron is taking over PG roles for Chalmers

[Heat_Fan_87]

the real question is what the lux tax # is.

[Heat_Fan_87]

amin

2014-15 projected Cap $63.2M; Tax: $77.0M RT @LarryCoon: New cap, tax and lockout projections. CBA FAQ Blog: http://cbafaq.com/blog/?p=304

Very nice. current lux tax is $71.4m

[BennyGfromFL]

This is excellent news, not because I believe the Big 3 will opt out and we'll have salary cap room (I doubt they do), but because it should make the repeater tax a bit less onerous for Mickey. We may be able to use our mini-MLE, actually utilize our first round pick, give Chalmers a fair deal, give Bird a slight raise, etc.

[RexBoyWonder]

This is excellent news, not because I believe the Big 3 will opt out and we'll have salary cap room (I doubt they do), but because it should make the repeater tax a bit less onerous for Mickey. We may be able to use our mini-MLE, actually utilize our first round pick, give Chalmers a fair deal, give Bird a slight raise, etc.

This.

The big increase helps us on every level. Might be able to pull off a decent off season now, with some breathing room.

[WD]

But ultimately do you guys feel Lebron will opt out and sign a deal starting at around 16 million to help build around him?

http://hoopshype.com/rumors.htm#sthash.vbA3RK51.dpuf

Just curious, why would we ask him to take ANOTHER pay cut? There are other ways to "build around him" other ways to have a competitive team

[BennyGfromFL]

But ultimately do you guys feel Lebron will opt out and sign a deal starting at around 16 million to help build around him?

http://hoopshype.com/rumors.htm#sthash.vbA3RK51.dpuf

Just curious, why would we ask him to take ANOTHER pay cut? There are other ways to "build around him" other ways to have a competitive team

Yeah, I think Riley is a guy who respects contracts and I doubt he presses any of these guys too hard to opt out and take a pay cut. Maybe he'll hint that it could make for an improved team, but it'll be entirely their decision and he'll be ready to operate either way. He already knows that gestures of good faith are sometimes the way to go from when he offered Shaq 5 yr/$125 million, but Shaq himself knocked it down to $100 million. The original offer alone was enough to satisfy Shaq's ego, so he opted to leave some money on the table for the good of the team (people forget this about Shaq after the way he left.) Could see a similar thing here if Riley plays it right. These dudes will obviously be talking/coordinating with one another.

[WD]

But ultimately do you guys feel Lebron will opt out and sign a deal starting at around 16 million to help build around him?

http://hoopshype.com/rumors.htm#sthash.vbA3RK51.dpuf

Just curious, why would we ask him to take ANOTHER pay cut? There are other ways to "build around him" other ways to have a competitive team

Yeah, I think Riley is a guy who respects contracts and I doubt he presses any of these guys too hard to opt out and take a pay cut. Maybe he'll hint that it could make for an improved team, but it'll be entirely their decision and he'll be ready to operate either way. He already knows that gestures of good faith are sometimes the way to go from when he offered Shaq 5 yr/$125 million, but Shaq himself knocked it down to $100 million. The original offer alone was enough to satisfy Shaq's ego, so he opted to leave some money on the table for the good of the team (people forget this about Shaq after the way he left.) Could see a similar thing here if Riley plays it right. These dudes will obviously be talking/coordinating with one another.

It's time this team/staff sacrifice in other ways..you can't ask the best player in the game to continuously take a pay cut and have the workload he has....I agree, you offer the best you can to lbj and see what happens.....It's time for this staff/team to utilize the assets it DOES have a little better.

This will be an interesting off season, if the big 3 decides to stay, I'll be happy with any way this gets done...this offseason, I'm looking at it strictly from a business perspective, not as a fan of the organization.

[BennyGfromFL]

^I agree, and when you read about skyrocketing values of franchises (doesn't seem like Mickey has any intention to sell and plans on letting Nick eventually take over, but still) and the fact that LeBron's presence alone has accounted for so much of that, and that Lebron would make $50+ million on an open market with no cap, asking him to take less money would be a slap in the face, and one in which they would be stupid to risk in the chance they insult him.

It would have to be entirely 100% Lebron's call, and the only way I could see him justifying it to himself is if taking less money may give him better a better shot to win more titles (with more money to give him help), and thus make him enough of an icon, ala Jordan, to be a hugely marketable brand deep into his post-retirement, recouping his lost salary and then some that way. I'm sure Lebron has people weighing all this.

But it would need to be Lebron approaching the Heat and saying "If I were to take less money, what would you do with the extra cash?" and never us asking him to do it. Riley's too savvy to make that mistake.

[WD]

^Exactly, I agree with EVeRY WORD

[Altered_Beast]

Wade needs to take less. Especially if he's gonna continue to be a part time player. And I think he knows this

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[heater4life]

What happens this season greatly effects the off-season. If the Miami Heat win their 3rd in a row, 4 straight finals appearances, the opportunity to make it 4 rings in a row is too dynastic for the big 3 to overlook. Given that situation, I think the big 3 take pay cuts to give Riley the oppurtunity to retool the roster with more depth.

Trevor Ariza
Pau Gasol
Marvin Gortat

All options that with convincing and some cap room can be added. Optimal situation, Ariza and Anthony Morrow are added to increase outside shooting and youth. Plus draft pick.

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[NBA82]

I just don't see the numbers working out. For us to add anyone of consequence, the Big 3 would all have to take significant cuts, and either Haslem would have to opt out or we'd have to let Chalmers walk.

I think letting Chalmers go would be a big mistake. I'm no huge fan, but the PG market sucks this year, Cole is awful, and we don't want to have to go into the draft desperate for a PG. If Chalmers goes, our starting PG next year is probably Mo Williams, Steve Blake, or Norris Cole. That's bad.

With that in mind, best case scenario, you're looking at like $45 million to the Big 3, $4.5 million to Haslem, $4.5 million to Chalmers, and $2 million to Norris Cole. That's $56 million to 6 guys. Add 6 roster holds and you're up above $59 million. So we'd have $6-7 million in free space if everything goes right, as opposed to $3.5 with the mini-MLE. It's just not worth asking the entire roster to take pay cuts for.

We're going to need to be creative this off-season. Chalmers, Wade, Allen, LeBron, Bosh, and Birdman should be our returning rotation players. That leaves 2-3 open spots in the rotation (back-up PG, back-up SG/SF, starting PF/C), and only one mini-MLE. We could keep Cole in the back-up PG slot, but he has really been awful this year and the clock is striking midnight. He's 25. If he's still terrible, he might just be terrible.

I'd go after a center with the mini-MLE (Varejao, Okafor, Pau, Hawes, Gortat... whoever will take the pay cut). Then maybe Marvin Williams or Brandon Rush as a back-up SG/SF. And draft Kyle Anderson.

[RJM]

The basic theme of this whole team has been nothing but sacrifice. I think the players have an understanding as to what it takes to keep this sort of nucleus together. It requires all sorts of sacrifice, including but not limited to financial sacrifice, personal sacrifice, professional sacrifice (in terms of minutes), and so on.

I think we can wait and see what sacrifice becomes for this team this summer. There are talented players out there that are willing to buy into this principle, so I firmly believe that an increase in the salary cap will bode well for this team's reconstruction.

[NBA82]

I'm all for sacrifice, but when you really run the numbers, short of absolutely insane sacrifice (like LeBron/Bosh taking $12 million a year), it's just not possible to open up enough cap room to make the sacrifice worth it.

If the Big 3 could each take $15 instead of $20 and add Carmelo or someone like that, I have no doubt that they would. But are you really going to ask these guys to take substantial pay cuts to open up enough cap room for Marcin Gortat, when the alternative is that we pay them market value and add Emeka Okafor for the mini-MLE? The guys we could afford with $7 million are in the Gortat, Hawes, Ariza type range.

[heater4life]

Why does everyone continue mentioning the mini-mle? Wouldnt the Heat be out of the luxury tax next year, giving them a full MLE?

[NBA82]

The full/mini-MLE corresponds to the previous season. So if we're out of the luxury tax next year, we'd have the full MLE for the 2015-2016 season.

[CWebb2491]

But ultimately do you guys feel Lebron will opt out and sign a deal starting at around 16 million to help build around him?

http://hoopshype.com/rumors.htm#sthash.vbA3RK51.dpuf

Just curious, why would we ask him to take ANOTHER pay cut? There are other ways to "build around him" other ways to have a competitive team

Because Lebron is a special breed. He sacrifices on and off the court while being the best player on the planet. Im not saying to demand it because we cant but Riley sitting down and discussing if he would like to sign a long term contract at a slightly lower rate to get him the players that can keep this team championship contenders for years to come. Lebron is about his legacy and winning, wade and bosh should most definitely consider taking less also if they want to keep winning rings also, because it is obvious this team can win the chip this year but will need to reload for a run next year.

[WD]

But ultimately do you guys feel Lebron will opt out and sign a deal starting at around 16 million to help build around him?

http://hoopshype.com/rumors.htm#sthash.vbA3RK51.dpuf

Just curious, why would we ask him to take ANOTHER pay cut? There are other ways to "build around him" other ways to have a competitive team

Because Lebron is a special breed. He sacrifices on and off the court while being the best player on the planet. Im not saying to demand it because we cant but Riley sitting down and discussing if he would like to sign a long term contract at a slightly lower rate to get him the players that can keep this team championship contenders for years to come. Lebron is about his legacy and winning, wade and bosh should most definitely consider taking less also if they want to keep winning rings also, because it is obvious this team can win the chip this year but will need to reload for a run next year.

no paycut for lbj, and i'll give another "more detailed" reason before the end of the night