NBA Economics, Kuselias

NBA Economics:

The luxury tax in the NBA is extremely penal -- dollar for dollar. Let's take the Rockets who are now over the luxury tax ($9 mil over). They are paying David Andersen 2.5 mil next year, but because of the luxury tax they are effectively paying him 5 mil.

If I am the Rockets GM I am calling up teams with trade exceptions or cap space like Cleveland and working on a win-win deal. The Cavs lost some guy named LeBron, but they also lost both of their centers. Andersen is nothing special, but he can be a rotation big. Therefore,

Rockets trade Andersen and 1.5 mil in cash for a 2nd round pick.

Effect: With the signing of Brad Miller, the Rockets have Yao, Miller, Hill, and Hayes at C. The chances of Andersen seeing the floor were slight. This trade gives the Cavs a solid backup big that they will only have to pay $1 mil and all they give up is a future 2nd rd. pick. Meanwhile, this deal saves the Rockets $3.5 mil.

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ESPN Radio's Erik Kuselias

Called Michael Jordan's comments on LeBron--basically that he never would have called up Bird and Magic and say lets play together because I wanted to beat those guys--disingenuous because he didnt have to call them because the Bulls "hooked you up with great players...they surrounded Jordan with great players. He didnt win anything before they did."

As a side note: Jordan was losing to dominant Celtics teams and the bad boy Pistons. Jordan wasnt exactly losing to the vaunted 2009 Magic or an aging Boston Big Three that didnt have home court.

Then let's look at Jordan's first title team and point out all the great players since Kuselias said Jordan was "surrounded by them" as in more than just Pippen who we know was indeed great.

The Bulls rotation (top 8 guys minutewise): Jordan, Pippen, Horace Grant, John Paxson, Bill Cartwright, Cliff Levingston, Scott Williams, and Craig Hodges

Wow! Cartwright and Paxson!!! Look at that bench too!!! Grant was a very good defensive player, but great is far too strong--he never made a single all-star team.

Getting minutes on the second three-peat was Ron Harper, Luc Longley, Bill Wennington, and Randy Brown. Surrounded.

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The only player in the modern era to do it without any great players around him was Hakeem Olajuwon in 93-94

That team's rotation was Olajuwon, Robert Horry, Vernon Maxwell, Otis Thorpe, Kenny Smith, Sam Cassell, Carl Herrera

Cassell was a rookie and Horry was in just his 2nd year

The next year when the Rockets won their 2nd title they had to go through:

The Western Conferences top 3 seeds: Utah (Malone, Stockton); Phoenix (Barkley, Kevin Johnson, Dan Majerle, Danny Manning); San Antonio (Robinson)

And Orlando - the East's top seed who had Shaq, Penny, and Horace Grant

All Olajuwon did was put up this line in the playoffs:

33 pts 10 rbs 4.5 assts 2.9 blks 1.1 stls

Result: Dream > LeBron

Not saying it really. I'm just putting it out there.