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I normally think Kelly Dwyer is a ing re but reading this just makes it hurt even more. FUUUUUUUUUCKK!!!!
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/...uxury-Tax.html
The Spurs Won't Pay the Luxury Tax
July 13, 2007 11:36 AM
Posted by Kelly Dwyer
I struggled with a way to take this post for a while, but things are starting to make sense now. The San Antonio Spurs, fat and sassy with their fourth le in nine years and their ability to make TV magic, passed on paying the luxury tax during the 2007-08 season. Why else would they trade the right to sign Luis Scola - considered the finest overseas prospect in these here hills - and an emerging pivot talent for a player who won't spend another minute in the NBA?
After signing Matt Bonner and Fabricio Oberto to extensions that will combine to add nearly six-million caucasoid clams to their payroll next season, the Spurs sought to trim payroll enough to eke their way below the tax threshold. Scola is essentially a free agent, but all signs pointed against this potential Loy Vaught-clone (that's a good thing, cats and kittens) staying away from the Spurs due to a toxic mix of lack of minutes and lack of funds being sent his way. Enter Houston; a desperate rival stuck inside the same division, but also one that boasts an unhappy Greek point guard who can't shoot and won't shave and had Jeff Van Gundy turn him off the whole stateside appearance.
Vassilis Spanoulis has absolutely zero leverage, his name sounds like a dish that would include pine nuts, and his agent actually told the Houston Chronicle last week that the Rockets could "trade him to San Antonio and he could be the starting point guard, and he would he would say, No, I cannot.'" So, no; he cannot, and the Spurs will buy him out. Jackie Butler's guaranteed contract will lope over to Houston-town and for some reason the Spurs decided to throw Scola's rights in as a sweetener.
From there, we ask questions; to the cat, because nobody else is in the house right now.
Was Scola's situation so dire that the Spurs were about to lose all leverage and they had to dump the guy? Jackie Butler for V-Span is already a huge steal for Houston - Butler is a darn good pivot prospect whose per-minute numbers (even at power forward, which surprised me) were quite encouraging even as a part of the New York Knick mess in 2004-05 and 2005-06. Isn't that deal, even with Bonner and Oberto's extensions, enough to miss the cap threshold once you buy Spanoulis out? Why throw in Scola? Was I wrong about RC Buford? I'd never seen him with sunnies on until that column was published. Should I have gone with Donnie Nelson? Nelson's signed Devean George - twice. The whole thing just shakes my faith.
Either way, the trade is an absolute home run for the Rockets. Scola's reps already told the Houston Chronicle's Jonathan Feigen that he's well on his way toward coming over for 2007-08. I only wish the Rockets could send Butler to a team that could use his touch in the pivot. Stuck behind Yao Ming and Dikembe Mutombo in Rick Adelman's rotation; that's not a good start. And yet, it hardly changes what looks on paper to be one of the more lopsided NBA deals in the last decade.
I normally think Kelly Dwyer is a ing re but reading this just makes it hurt even more. FUUUUUUUUUCKK!!!!
Butler and Scola have not done a damn thing in the NBA....how is this a lopsided trade? You don't realize how much money the spurs saved plus another 2nd round pick and extra cash....yeah it's not a deal the spurs wanted to make but scola's buyout practically forced it along with Jackie Butler's appe e.
Actually the payroll expense reduction plus cash works out to $6.8 mil. Maybe they take $700K of that and bring Mahinmi in. Yippee.
Water is wet.The Spurs Won't Pay the Luxury Tax
This deal completely defies everything that is good about the spurs, unless they have bigger plans to do something, and this is just the beginning.
Somehow i doubt it, but god please i hope so. How can you throw your two best tradable assets (not great but still) for basically nothing but money.
The Spurs have been about doing things on the cheap for some time now.
Your powers of observation are stunning...
You mean to tell me that an international player and a 22yr old kid who's never been in the right situation haven't done anything in the NBA? That's insight...
Of course, what you failed to look at is that both have the TALENT to be significant contributors in the NBA if given the opportunity. To trade them away for cap relief is unbelievably stupid.
In two years, people will say "I can't believe the Spurs let both of these guys go for a second round pick....rediculous."
In case your powers of interpretation are failing you...
Here's the bottom line: It's not what these guys have done in the past or what they wouldn't have done for the Spurs in the future (likely never getting the opportunity)....it's what they WILL do in the future for a team on the cusp of becoming a legitimate le contender.
That was going to be my only point. This is the best franchise in SPORTS much less the NBA, I am anything but worried.
Wow, now I'm really sick!-
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The Spurs know this was a bad deal based on talent. What remains to be seen is if $6.8 mil in payroll savings and cash received plus what the talent that they chose over Butler and Scola was worth it.
Instead of paying Butler $2.5 mil per and Scola $3 mil per they will pay Mahinmi and Splitter each $700K per.
Sounds pretty savy to me, but hey I am no NBA GM so what the F would I know.
It's savvy if Butler and Scola aren't worth the difference.
Luis Scola and Jackie Butler
How is it $6.8M in payroll savings?
My count is $5M....which is JB's $2.5M salary doubled because of lux tax implications.
This also assumes that the Spurs will not have to pay Spanoulis ANY of his guaranteed contract.
How did you arrive at $6.8M?
$4.9 mil for Butler (his salary is around $2.45 mil if I am not mistaken).
The Rockets included cash in the deal to cover Sppannnnisslsouous' salary next season, which will be $1.9 mil. Assuming he walks away from the contract, that's a benefit.
$6.8 mil.
Neither Splitter nor Mahinmi have the level of low-post talent that Butler and Scola had. I understand the reasoning behind getting rid of one of them, but to get rid of both leaves the Spurs without that capability outside of Duncan. IMO, that's a big hole...
Luis Scola and Jackie Butler
The Spurs FO are truly geniuses
So we've confirmed the "cash considerations" as t$1.9M money to pay off Spanoulis?
And then we're making the assumption that Spanoulis' agent won't try to get the money he is still owed? I wonder how feasible that is...though I saw the comments about how adamant V-Span was about staying in Greece.
Either way, those cash considerations would not have the benefit of counting against the cap....they'd just line the pockets of the organization.
Jackie Butler wasn't "in the right situation"? Um, lessee, the Spurs threw an unbelievable contract at him, freed him from the mess in NY, gave him a chance to compete with Elson in camp----and he showed up out of shape.
As for Scola, I don't think we've heard the whole story. If this guy was so hot to join his Argentinian mates in S.A., his agent would have found a way to get out of his contract. Suddenly, he's raving about Houston and how excited he is to join a team that can't get out of the first round, as opposed to joining the defending champs, becoming heir to Robert Horry and lining up alongside Duncan?
Bang for the buck. THAT is what keeps the Spurs succeeding year after year. Duncan, Ginobilli, Parker & Bowen offer it.
Neither Butler nor Scola did (or Rasho, Malik, et al - at least by somebody's standard)
The Spurs, and any small market (and relatively small budget) team that wants to compete with the big spenders, MUST be carefull with every dollar, and that means, yes, saving whenever you can for a rainy day fund. Most of us look at the cap and every avenue to stretch MORE dollars available to spend under it, or over it, or whatever, and amass all the talent possible. The Spurs don't have that luxury. They are dealing with REAL dollars, and finite ones at that. 4 rings in 9 seasons don't lie - being called cheap pretty much all the while.
There is a difference between "cheap" and "prudent". Do the Spurs want to hand Houston a le? No. Do they want to continue to win championships? Yes. Only history will tell EXACTLY how bad this trade was for the Spurs; everything else is speculation. I can only assume that they have done what they've done for basketball business reasons; and all that implies.
On paper, yes.And yet, it hardly changes what looks on paper to be one of the more lopsided NBA deals in the last decade.
Now, back to the reality :
- Scola was ready to sign an extension with Tau. He didn't want to sign with Sprus (and Spurs didn't want him) and wanted to play for a limited number of teams.
- Butler is a so-so project who hasn't played for a year, was paid $2.4M. Pop didn't like him and wanted to get rid of him.
Spurs weren't at all in a good position to get a good deal and they didn't get a good deal.
Yeah, what makes this deal worse is when Spannissslououous starts making noise about wanting to join the Spurs so they're forced to pay him something to go away.
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