Question about Splitter

[Gagnrath]

I thought your rookie contracts didn't count toward the luxury tax and salary cap. How can the spurs since they are no longer bound to pay him rookie scale, restricted in offering him matching money?

[Blackjack]

Rookie contracts count towards the cap just the same as anything else. But first-round draft picks have a certain salary-scale they have to abide by, with the exception if you're three-years removed from your draft class. That exception allows you to pay as much as the MLE to obtain a player's services.

Splitter wasn't going to come over when he was getting paid significantly more money than he would've had he come prior to being three-years removed but with the economy the way it is in Europe and the bulk of the MLE now available to him, it finally makes sense financially for him to come over.

Whether he does or not, we'll have to wait and see.

[Mel_13]

I thought your rookie contracts didn't count toward the luxury tax and salary cap. How can the spurs since they are no longer bound to pay him rookie scale, restricted in offering him matching money?

Rookie scale contracts count towards the cap and the tax.

The maximum possible contract that the Spurs can offer Splitter is the full MLE. Any contract he signs will count towards the cap and the tax.

Edit: too slow

[Blackjack]

Young Skywalker learns well.

[Mel_13]

The Force is strong with that one.

[Blackjack]

[Mel_13]

Link for Game 3 between Caja Laboral and Real Madrid. Scheduled to begin in about 30 minutes.

http://acb360.orange.es/partidos/LACB/54/324

[Gagnrath]

I could have sworn you were allowed to sign your draft picks to their rookie contracts even if you were over the cap.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBA_Sal...okie_exception

[Solid D]

Rookie contracts count towards the cap just the same as anything else. But first-round draft picks have a certain salary-scale they have to abide by, with the exception if you're three-years removed from your draft class. That exception allows you to pay as much as the MLE to obtain a player's services.

Splitter wasn't going to come over when he was getting paid significantly more money than he would've had he come prior to being three-years removed but with the economy the way it is in Europe and the bulk of the MLE now available to him, it finally makes sense financially for him to come over.

Whether he does or not, we'll have to wait and see.

Which brings us back to whether some team such as Real really would offer Splitter 8-10M Euros ($10-12M US) per year, as was rumored.

[Muser]

Link for Game 3 between Caja Laboral and Real Madrid. Scheduled to begin in about 30 minutes.

http://acb360.orange.es/partidos/LACB/54/324

Thanks for the link.

[cantthinkofanything]

An energy brings forth the spirit of a man

A spirit who makes his presence felt, for those that never had

The means to open a book or discover artistry

eisfeld, know the name Dead Poet: licensed poetically

Austiran born or bred

He knows not what he says

For Schwarzenegger brought him warmth

While California's finances bled

Thou bid you adieu

As thou hope to do the same

Of a certain Spurs forward

Whose hair's been set ablaze

And on his way out that door

That he might take a friend

A man know as a Mason

Owner of a tarantula-breeding head

The energy now fading from the fore

This poet recedes to the under

Six-feet below thou can't ignore

Remember thy name and this time

Remember the words of the Dead

Poet, that is

The emphasis on dead...

It's better. It still needs a couple of lines about why they are leaving. If I'm an outsider reading this, I'm wondering why did the fire head and spider head leave. It seems like someone with either fire head or spider head would be a good ally. Maybe you could say something like the spiders were controlled by evil forces and screwed up his depth perception or something. And that the heat of the fire burned up Bonner's desire. Or something.

[Blackjack]

[cantthinkofanything]

So I decided to to it myself and ended up with this...

I awoke one day to realize
The Sun burned out my hope’s black eyes
Form north of the border a warrior came
Banished my friends to a season of shame

Looking forward, looking past
Always next year, one more chance
Change abounds, necessitates
To avoid another defeating fate

I shout, I shout WHAT IS THE POINT?
To keep spider head DID YOU SMOKE A JOINT?
What about the red haired one?
Be gone be gone it would be no fun

Who shale come and take their place?
Please let it be some with blackened face
Someone that it keen of eye
Swift of foot and will not cry

From across the sea, a sound arose
From Euro league wearing panty hose
Is this the savior, what can he bring?
Answer the door, DINGALINGALINGALING

Then I realized that this was a sorry effort and I should have spent the time working.

[Solid D]

So I decided to to it myself and ended up with this...

I awoke one day to realize
The Sun burned out my hope’s black eyes
Form north of the border a warrior came
Banished my friends to a season of shame

Looking forward, looking past
Always next year, one more chance
Change abounds, necessitates
To avoid another defeating fate

I shout, I shout WHAT IS THE POINT?
To keep spider head DID YOU SMOKE A JOINT?
What about the red haired one?
Be gone be gone it would be no fun

Who shale come and take their place?
Please let it be some with blackened face
Someone that it keen of eye
Swift of foot and will not cry

From across the sea, a sound arose
From Euro league wearing panty hose
Is this the savior, what can he bring?
Answer the door, DINGALINGALINGALING

Then I realized that this was a sorry effort and I should have spent the time working.

[ChuckD]

I thought your rookie contracts didn't count toward the luxury tax and salary cap. How can the spurs since they are no longer bound to pay him rookie scale, restricted in offering him matching money?

You thought wrong. If you're under the cap, they count against both. If you're over, you get an exception to sign the player, but he still counts on your payroll for the tax.

Consider Splitter to be a FA that we have exclusive access to for signage purposes. We can use only cap room (we have none) or exceptions to sign him. That means we top out at the MLE.

[Uriel]

The real number to be concerned about, however, is the $ number. If it is true that someone like, say, Real would be able to pay Splitter $8-10M Euros ($9.7M - 12.2M USD), then the Spurs would be hard-pressed to compete.

If you're referring to the rumor posted here, then Bruno has already pointed out here that the source is unreliable. Even Tim Varner has retracted it in his blog post here. In actuality, Real Madrid's offer, should they actually make one, will be well below those numbers indicated in your post. As such, there's plenty of reason to be optimistic about Splitter coming to the Spurs. They can offer him more money, and they can entice him with the prospect of playing in the world's best basketball league, something I believe Splitter will be hard pressed to pass up.

By the way, speaking of numbers, what number do you think Splitter will be drafted if he had been in the NBA draft this year instead of in 2007 and if his contract wasn't an issue? That is, he's amenable to signing a rookie scale contract and his buyout with Caja Laboral wouldn't be an issue.

[TD 21]

If you're referring to the rumor posted here, then Bruno has already pointed out here that the source is unreliable. Even Tim Varner has retracted it in his blog post here. In actuality, Real Madrid's offer, should they actually make one, will be well below those numbers indicated in your post. As such, there's plenty of reason to be optimistic about Splitter coming to the Spurs. They can offer him more money, and they can entice him with the prospect of playing in the world's best basketball league, something I believe Splitter will be hard pressed to pass up.

By the way, speaking of numbers, what number do you think Splitter will be drafted if he had been in the NBA draft this year instead of in 2007 and if his contract wasn't an issue? That is, he's amenable to signing a rookie scale contract and his buyout with Caja Laboral wouldn't be an issue.

We're sure that the Spurs can offer him more money than Real Madrid? I haven't heard this confirmed, only that the supposed Real Madrid offer is false.

He'd be top ten, maybe even as high as sixth.

Having seen him play some, he reminds me of Duncan (at least when he was younger), in the sense that he's underrated athletically. Not a freak athlete by any stretch of the imagination, but he moves fairly well and he's got reasonable spring in his legs. He's not just some big stiff. Offensively, he reminds me some of Jamison, with his array of unorthodox shots, though his come more with his back to the basket than Jamison's, who takes most of his on dribble drives.

[Solid D]

If you're referring to the rumor posted here, then Bruno has already pointed out here that the source is unreliable. Even Tim Varner has retracted it in his blog post here. In actuality, Real Madrid's offer, should they actually make one, will be well below those numbers indicated in your post. As such, there's plenty of reason to be optimistic about Splitter coming to the Spurs. They can offer him more money, and they can entice him with the prospect of playing in the world's best basketball league, something I believe Splitter will be hard pressed to pass up.

By the way, speaking of numbers, what number do you think Splitter will be drafted if he had been in the NBA draft this year instead of in 2007 and if his contract wasn't an issue? That is, he's amenable to signing a rookie scale contract and his buyout with Caja Laboral wouldn't be an issue.

Yeah, I wasn't saying it actually was true, although I did not see the retraction post.

If it is true that someone like, say, Real would be able to pay Splitter $8-10M Euros ($9.7M - 12.2M USD), then the Spurs would be hard-pressed to compete.

However, if some team like Real were to come up with big boy money like that, particularly if it had more than a year or two involved, it would be a tough match for the Spurs.

In response to your question about Splitter's draft position, I think he would be top 3, especially with his recent play. Wall and Turner would still be top picks due to their amazing upside and skill.

[TD 21]

In response to your question about Splitter's draft position, I think he would be top 3, especially with his recent play. Wall and Turner would still be top picks due to their amazing upside and skill.

What about the fact that he's 25, wouldn't that hurt him? We're not talking about where does he rank as a player, but rather where he would be drafted. Teams are obsessed youth, upside and athleticism, particularly that high in the draft. I can't see him going ahead of Favors. After that, now that I think about it, I could see him going as high as fourth, because of all the question marks and red flags surrounding Cousins. I'm going to revise what I said and say somewhere between fourth-sixth.

[Solid D]

BTW, I wasn't really very high on Splitter prior to this year because I felt like he wasn't playing up to his highly publicized potential. He seemed to lack the toughness and the ability to really step up in crunch time. I still don't believe his is a true go-to player and he would get pushed around by players with a big, strong base. I do believe he has really developed his footwork, screening skills and court savvy.

[Solid D]

What about the fact that he's 25, wouldn't that hurt him? We're not talking about where does he rank as a player, but rather where he would be drafted. Teams are obsessed youth, upside and athleticism, particularly that high in the draft. I can't see him going ahead of Favors. After that, now that I think about it, I could see him going as high as fourth, because of all the question marks and red flags surrounding Cousins. I'm going to revise what I said and say somewhere between fourth-sixth.

25 is young enough, especially when getting a player with so much experience. He is more of a known talent, with maturity to boot.

[TD 21]

That's fine, because the Spurs don't need him to be anything close to a go-to player. Basically, they need him to be a legit number two big and a partner for Duncan. Something similar to Perkins (I'm aware they're vastly different players).

You think he's developed his screening skills? Because watching him, that's what stood out most to me, was how poor a screener he is. He's Nowitzkiesque in this regard.

As for him getting pushed around by players with a big, strong base, I don't see that as much of a concern. Assuming he starts and primarily plays next to Duncan, he'll guard mostly mobile PF's. Not that their aren't strong PF's. Guys like Randolph and Boozer come to mind, but I'd imagine Splitter's length would give them problems.

[Solid D]

You think he's developed his screening skills

Yes, his hand-work and how smoothly and quickly he moves with his rescreens and his rolls to the basket.

[TD 21]

He's definitely a good roll man, but from what I've seen he doesn't set sturdy screens, particularly those of the weak side variety.

As for his draft position, like I said, being a more proven player is often seen as a detriment and that's just for guys who are 22; he's 25. I think that and the fact that he's not overly athletic or strong would put him behind Favors for sure.

[Solid D]

Naturally, Splitter would not be, just now, entering the NBA draft with the current rules and in today's NBA. You don't see older guys going early period nowadays. Having a proven, experienced player signing at the Rookie scale with no buy-out, as the scenario was presented by Uriel, would be highly attractive to most teams.