***Official 2009-2010 Houston Rockets Thread*** (29-28)

Originally posted by Hollywood49er:

Originally posted by LA9erFan:
BTW, regarding your cap space this summer, if I were a Rocket fan I'd be PRAYING that they didn't waste it on Chris Bosh.

I hope not Scola is tougher on the block than Bosh. I like scola more than Bosch he is a Rox guy and Bosh isn't.

Yeah, and there's no reason to mess with a Scola/Landry combo. Wade would be a perfect fit because not only is he one of the 3 best players in the league right now, but he also provides exactly what you guys are missing, which is a go-to-guy on the perimeter who can create shots for others.

If you guys got Wade and Yao came back healthy, you'd be the #2 team in the West by a mile, and you'd still match up extremely well against the Lakers. You guys already do, it's just that I don't think you have the necessary firepower to win a series against us. If you had Wade, you would.

Originally posted by LA9erFan:

Originally posted by Hollywood49er:

Originally posted by LA9erFan:
BTW, regarding your cap space this summer, if I were a Rocket fan I'd be PRAYING that they didn't waste it on Chris Bosh.

I hope not Scola is tougher on the block than Bosh. I like scola more than Bosch he is a Rox guy and Bosh isn't.

Yeah, and there's no reason to mess with a Scola/Landry combo. Wade would be a perfect fit because not only is he one of the 3 best players in the league right now, but he also provides exactly what you guys are missing, which is a go-to-guy on the perimeter who can create shots for others.

If you guys got Wade and Yao came back healthy, you'd be the #2 team in the West by a mile, and you'd still match up extremely well against the Lakers. You guys already do, it's just that I don't think you have the necessary firepower to win a series against us. If you had Wade, you would.

Man I get all giddy like a school girl thinking of landing Wade.

Originally posted by LA9erFan:

Originally posted by Hollywood49er:

Originally posted by LA9erFan:
BTW, regarding your cap space this summer, if I were a Rocket fan I'd be PRAYING that they didn't waste it on Chris Bosh.

I hope not Scola is tougher on the block than Bosh. I like scola more than Bosch he is a Rox guy and Bosh isn't.

Yeah, and there's no reason to mess with a Scola/Landry combo. Wade would be a perfect fit because not only is he one of the 3 best players in the league right now, but he also provides exactly what you guys are missing, which is a go-to-guy on the perimeter who can create shots for others.

If you guys got Wade and Yao came back healthy, you'd be the #2 team in the West by a mile, and you'd still match up extremely well against the Lakers. You guys already do, it's just that I don't think you have the necessary firepower to win a series against us. If you had Wade, you would.

Unless Bosh can play C, I'm backing off him. I just thought he'd be the most attainable, but now I'm hearing he likes Miami, which would eliminate DWade from coming here. With Landry coming on though you haev to wonder how long he's willing to play 2nd banana to Scola. I don't think his contract is all that long either. I worry that we may not get any of the FAs next summer, LBJ makes the most sense if he wants to win, but I really thik he's more concerned with being in NY.
What's that leave?

Originally posted by TX9R:

Originally posted by LA9erFan:

Originally posted by Hollywood49er:

Originally posted by LA9erFan:
BTW, regarding your cap space this summer, if I were a Rocket fan I'd be PRAYING that they didn't waste it on Chris Bosh.

I hope not Scola is tougher on the block than Bosh. I like scola more than Bosch he is a Rox guy and Bosh isn't.

Yeah, and there's no reason to mess with a Scola/Landry combo. Wade would be a perfect fit because not only is he one of the 3 best players in the league right now, but he also provides exactly what you guys are missing, which is a go-to-guy on the perimeter who can create shots for others.

If you guys got Wade and Yao came back healthy, you'd be the #2 team in the West by a mile, and you'd still match up extremely well against the Lakers. You guys already do, it's just that I don't think you have the necessary firepower to win a series against us. If you had Wade, you would.

Unless Bosh can play C, I'm backing off him. I just thought he'd be the most attainable, but now I'm hearing he likes Miami, which would eliminate DWade from coming here. With Landry coming on though you haev to wonder how long he's willing to play 2nd banana to Scola. I don't think his contract is all that long either. I worry that we may not get any of the FAs next summer, LBJ makes the most sense if he wants to win, but I really thik he's more concerned with being in NY.
What's that leave?

Bosh is attainable, but I think the most common and fatal mistake that teams commit is giving franchise money to non-franchise players. IMO, there are seven #1 guys in the league (Kobe, LeBron, Wade, D12, Melo, CP3, and maybe Duncan). Teams make the mistake of giving #1 money to guys in the next tier (guys like Brandon Roy, Bosh, Joe Johnson, Amare, currently, IMO) and it cripples their franchises for years because they can't carry a team to the promised land and are eating up large chunks of cap space. Just because you have cap space doesn't mean that you have to use it!

I actually think that Wade is a better fit for you guys than LBJ. LeBron's the most ball dominant player in the league, and you guys have arguably the best ball movement in the league. He's still LeBron and a bad mofo, but so is Wade and he can play off of the ball at times.

Landry's signed through the end of next year, and yeah...he's due for a nice raise. You might have to move him next year to get talent in return.

Anyway, Joe Johnson would be a nice alternative to one of the main guys, but only at the right price ($12-$13M or so, IMO).

I thought of JJ, but we'd have to wait another year, right? Plus I think we'd get maybe a prime year or two, then fall off. You know, like with every FA we've ever signed.

Originally posted by TX9R:
I thought of JJ, but we'd have to wait another year, right? Plus I think we'd get maybe a prime year or two, then fall off. You know, like with every FA we've ever signed.

Haha. JJ's unrestricted this offseason, just fyi.

Originally posted by dobophile:
Houston would be pretty dangerous if they got Wade. (Assuming Yao returns healthy and effective, of course.) I've heard Wade wants to go to Chicago, but Illinois has a state income tax, and so do the states of its division rivals. A Texas team like Houston would seem to have a substantial advantage over Chicago in that respect, and even a minor advantage over Miami (who, despite being in a no-income-tax-state has only one other team in its division that is similarly situated.)

I only say "would seem" because I don't know the actual rates of income taxation in all the various states. Houston, San Antonio, and Dallas being in the same division definitely counts for something. But in the final analysis . . . I don't know.

There must be some mathematical analysis out there showing which team is the best from an income tax perspective.

Last year, a cap guy that I know did some analytics on the difference between Odom playing in Florida (no state income tax) or California, and it was fairly minimal, although I don't remember the specific numbers.

I would imagine that the increased endorsement money that comes from playing for a championship contender would offset any state income taxes by a significant margin.

LOL. Yeah, I'm sure he has someone that will just tell him "It's gonna cost you this much to live in Chicago" and he can decide from there.

Also, remember that individual game checks are taxed on the state in which they play, so if Wade plays a game in California, he does pay income tax for 1/82 of his salary.

*head explodes*

Originally posted by dobophile:
So no matter what, Wade is capable of shielding his endorsements from state income tax.

The question is whether the difference between the money off endorsements he'd be able to make in Chicago and the money off endorsements he'd be able to make in Houston would be large enough to make up for the extra taxes he'd have to pay on his Bulls contract. (And, if he goes to Chicago and keeps his Florida house purely for tax reasons, you'd have to consider that cost, too.)

My head is starting to hurt. I'm sure Wade's tax advisors have already started explaining all this to him.

IMO, guys as rich as Wade aren't going to sign somewhere for a tax break. He wants to win again. I think that's what will be the determining factor on where he'll sign.

Originally posted by dobophile:

Originally posted by LA9erFan:
LOL. Yeah, I'm sure he has someone that will just tell him "It's gonna cost you this much to live in Chicago" and he can decide from there.

Also, remember that individual game checks are taxed on the state in which they play, so if Wade plays a game in California, he does pay income tax for 1/82 of his salary.

*head explodes*

No, I know. That's why I think Houston would probably be marginally better than Miami from a tax perspective. (Both are in no income tax states, but Houston has TWO division rivals that have no state income tax as well.)

I think you're right that endorsements will be the more important consideration. But the difference between Houston and Chicago can't be that large---especially today, where the internet and such makes teams less local than ever before and where Houston has a huge Chinese fan base.

*head explodes again*

Yeah, I don't think that the city you're in really matters all that much at all these days. It's not like you have to ride 2 days on a locomotive to get to Madison Avenue these days. But I do think that the quality of the team you're on is significant in terms of the amount of money you make. If Wade goes to Houston and they're one of the 3-5 best teams in the league, that's what's going to appeal to advertisers the most, IMO. I don't think that happens in either Chicago or Miami, unless they add pieces aside from Wade.

[ Edited by LA9erFan on Dec 10, 2009 at 11:49:10 ]

well, its good to see TMAC back in action, and im glad for him, always like him.

Originally posted by AB83Rules:
well, its good to see TMAC back in action, and im glad for him, always like him.

I finally can haz fantasy player production?

Did McGrady really give up his #1 jersey to Trevor Ariza?

Noticed McGrady was wearing #3

I'd become a Rockets fan if Wade signed

Originally posted by jrg:
Did McGrady really give up his #1 jersey to Trevor Ariza?

Noticed McGrady was wearing #3

yup, i don't get it either. i noticed that on 2k10 when it first came out