WE ARE GOIN TO GET A VERY NICE PLAYER VIA AMNESTY!

[LastDon]

When guys like Billups and Baron Davis hit the waiver wire, we being one of the few contending who are under the cap can place a vet minimum bid and grab at least one of these players..we should bid on all amnesty players regardless of position to add to our depth..

It's unfortunate

[AHF]

Ummmm....how do I break this to you...

We are under the luxury tax (barely) but way over the cap and can't bid on amnesty players.

Sorry!

[LastDon]

Its unfortunate for jamal but I think that the hawks strategy is to driveup the value of Jeff Teague and Marvin Williams by giving them an opportunity to have a more prominent role and also allow other teams to use all there cap space and snag one of the hired guns from China in March (JR Smith or Kenyon Martin) JR Smith would be a bigger younger version of Jamal Crawford..

[macdaddy]

Ahhh crap. I was thinking we could bid too. Billups would be nice but not sure he'd come here. He's already said he won't play for just anybody no matter who claims him. I tell you there is going to be zero buzz around the Hawks this season unless something changes. We may be decent but nothing more.

[AHF]

We will have our MLE available when those guys free up (they could also be bought out of their Chinese contracts much earlier for up to $500K of the team's money), but that will mean paying the luxury tax.

[LastDon]

If that's how the amnesty provision works most of these players will hit the open market because very few teams are under 58 million and if so they have young prospects and wouldn't fool with guys like billups and davis..so either way we are going to get another quality player for the vet min...

I thought they worked out in the CBA that if u use the midlevel before u hit the luxury tax that its still an exemption..wasn't defining what is classified as a taxpayer one of the last issues that was bargained?

[swift]

Billups is going to Den or Miami

[Randy]

You have to wonder if guys like Baron Davis will even play for one of those teams who are below salary cap, instead of just drawing his salary till his contract ends.

[AHF]

Why would a team with a young PG not want Billups for the same price as Jason Collins?

[hawkrule152]

We would be absolutely stupid to pick up one of these players.. It is TEAGUE'S TIME... If we were to bring one of them in, it would b a starting role, they wouldnt accept coming off the bench. We dont need another PG on the team unless its a superstar PG like cp3 or deron (which is not going to happen so everyone needs to stop getting their hopes up)

[AHF]

We would be absolutely stupid to pick up one of these players.. It is TEAGUE'S TIME... If we were to bring one of them in, it would b a starting role, they wouldnt accept coming off the bench. We dont need another PG on the team unless its a superstar PG like cp3 or deron (which is not going to happen so everyone needs to stop getting their hopes up)

We can't pick up any amnesty player in the auction process.

We would be fools not to take Billups at a minimum contract instead of Earl Watson, IMO. It is Teague's time, but we need more depth than we presently have.

[hawkrule152]

hasnt earl watson already commited tho? dont get me wrong if we could get billups for the minimum id be all for it.. but thats just not going to happen..

[niremetal]

Yeah, I don't see Billups coming here for the vet min or even the MLE. Not unless he's good friends with T-Mac or JJ and we just didn't know it. He doesn't seem the type who'd be chasing the money at this stage in his career. I'd be shocked if he weren't back in a Nuggets uniform or picking up a Lakers jersey by season's start.

[AHF]

Yeah, I don't see Billups coming here for the vet min or even the MLE. Not unless he's good friends with T-Mac or JJ and we just didn't know it. He doesn't seem the type who'd be chasing the money at this stage in his career. I'd be shocked if he weren't back in a Nuggets uniform or picking up a Lakers jersey by season's start.

He wouldn't have a choice if we were bidding under the amnesty auction system. He would also get whatever the winning bid was for - even if it was a minimum contract.

I am just saying that if we were under the cap, we should absolutely put in bids under the amnesty system for a guy like Billups so he wouldn't ever become a free agent and NY would pay nearly all of his contract.

If he becomes a free agent, he will be able to pick his team. I hope it isn't Miami.

Edited December 9, 2011 by AHF

[macdaddy]

He has insinuated that he won't play for just anybody so we could pick him up but he could pull a Marbury and refuse to play. The question is would he still get paid the balance by the Knicks.

Are the minimums even in affect on these auctions or can you pay them a dollar since you're only offsetting an existing contract?

[sturt]

Billups is going to Den or Miami

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought by being non-tax paying, we technically qualify for the better MLE that the tax-payers like Miami cannot offer (?).

[AHF]

He has insinuated that he won't play for just anybody so we could pick him up but he could pull a Marbury and refuse to play. The question is would he still get paid the balance by the Knicks.

Are the minimums even in affect on these auctions or can you pay them a dollar since you're only offsetting an existing contract?

Let me do this in bold so I am clear:

THE HAWKS CANNOT BID ON ANY PLAYER IN THE AMNESTY POOL

This is purely academic. We haven't seen the details on this but I would assume you have to bid at least a minimum salary so that it doesn't give you a cap advantage.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought by being non-tax paying, we technically qualify for the better MLE that the tax-payers like Miami cannot offer (?).

Half true. We qualify for the full MLE but so do teams that are only slightly over the tax line. Miami is one of those teams.

[sturt]

That's not how I read it, AHF... the luxury tax threshold is, indeed, the delineating line between the 5mil/4yr vs. 3mi/3yr.

You may be confusing the fact that sign-and-trade is allowed up to $4 mil over the luxury tax threshold (?).

http://espn.go.com/n...mpares-last-one

• 2011 CBA: For non-taxpaying teams, four years starting at $5 million (base salary grows by 3 percent annually beginning in 2013-14), with 4.5 percent raises. Taxpaying teams are limited to three years, a $3 million base salary (which grows by 3 percent annually beginning in 2013-14) and 4.5 percent raises. Teams with cap room (therefore losing their midlevel exception) get a new midlevel that is for two years and starts at $2.5 million (growing 3 percent annually).

• Who benefits? Very few full midlevel contracts handed out under the 2005 CBA turned out to be good bargains in their later years. Reducing the size and length of the midlevel exception will help teams rid themselves of bad contracts.

The new exception for teams with cap room will benefit teams that clear cap room to sign free agents. For example, in the summer of 2010 Miami gutted its roster in order to obtain James and Bosh. This left the Heat with a small amount of cap room to sign players like Mike Miller. But once they reached the salary cap, they could offer only minimum-salary contracts. Under the new CBA, once they reach the cap, they could still offer one or more players a total of $2.5 million.

Edited December 9, 2011 by sturt

[niremetal]

He wouldn't have a choice if we were bidding under the amnesty auction system. He would also get whatever the winning bid was for - even if it was a minimum contract.

I am just saying that if we were under the cap, we should absolutely put in bids under the amnesty system for a guy like Billups so he wouldn't ever become a free agent and NY would pay nearly all of his contract.

If he becomes a free agent, he will be able to pick his team. I hope it isn't Miami.

...and I wasn't talking about the amnesty auction at all since the Hawks can't be a part of that. I was only commenting on our chances of landing Billups period. I think it's a safe bet that no below-cap team will take him.

Edited December 9, 2011 by niremetal

[AHF]

That's not how I read it, AHF... the luxury tax threshold is, indeed, the delineating line between the 5mil/4yr vs. 3mi/3yr.

You may be confusing the fact that sign-and-trade is allowed up to $4 mil over the luxury tax threshold (?).

http://espn.go.com/n...mpares-last-one

Here is what I am talking about:

The biggest move was owners allowing teams that are not more than $4 million over the luxury tax line to use the full mid-level exception of $5 million, according to multiple reports. That $4 million window makes a world of difference for the Heat and should allow them to...

Battier’s willingness to take the “mini” mid-level would be huge for Miami, because any team that uses the full mid-level to take their payroll over the tax line cannot spend beyond a wall set at $4 million over the tax — about $74.3 million this season. Adding Battier for the full mid-level and retaining Miller would have left the Heat with only about $2 million to take care of Mario Chalmers, a restricted free agent, and fill the rest of the roster — including their need for a fourth veteran big. Battier taking the “mini” mid-level would leave Miami free to spend as much as it wishes in a season where the old dollar-for-dollar tax still applies. The Heat wouldn’t have to use the amnesty clause on Miller, and they could match a competing offer for Chalmers.

...and I wasn't talking about the amnesty auction at all since the Hawks can't be a part of that. I was only commenting on our chances of landing Billups period. I think it's a safe bet that no below-cap team will take him.

I don't think it is a safe bet that no below-cap team will take him in the amnesty auction. For example, why wouldn't Indiana want him as their backup PG at a minimum salary? Why wouldn't Denver want him at a minimum salary? Why wouldn't the LAC want him at a minimum salary? Etc.