so while its complicated, do realize that getting nothing for tracy before the deadline is probably the least favorable scenario.

This post was mentioned on Twitter by NegotiateSalary: RT @red94_blog New blog post: An Explanation of the Houston Rockets’ Salary Cap Situation http://aqrhn.th8.us...

After thinking about the post, it struck me that the best Rocket strategy might be letting McGrady/Cook walk (or trade for expiring contracts),and then do absolutely nothing except keep our current players. To sign a max free agent, the Rockets would have to give up three highly productive players–Scola, Lowry, and Battier. On the ESPN trade machine, John Hollinger's analysis shows a Bosh trade for these three (plus Cook thrown in to make the salaries match) nets the Rockets all of two extra wins. But of course, maybe we don't get Bosh or Wade or James or Johnson, and then we are left with a rebuilding mess of epic proportions.

Here's looking at the “do-nothing” strategy from a different perspective: say the current team wins 48 games. Assuming Yao comes back full strength, he's worth at least another six to eight wins. Throw in an improving Budinger and maybe another Morely genius draft pick for another three to four wins. Suddenly, you are looking at a team that could win 60 games. And if Yao doesn't come back strong? He'll have an expiring contract next season, and so will Battier, which will give the Rockets a huge amount of flexibility if they really have to rebuild.

this immediately came to mind: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page…

It's hard to describe why. Part of it, I think, just comes down to player/mental makeup. Take the heart of Haslem and put it in Beasley's body, and you have a beast. But Beasley plays far too unaggressively. He's too content to float around the perimeter and shoot midrange jumpers; he's not the type of player to get angry and drive consistently, trying to ram the ball down the opponent's throats. He plays soft, like a 3, but doesn't have the quickness at the position.

Very skilled, but his mental approach to the game is worrying.

The system seems complicated at first, but really all it takes is a little experience to get the hang of it. But it is a lot of material. And this breakdown doesn't even include all the exceptions that allow teams to sign players over the cap. At any given time, most teams are over the cap, and yet we see these teams keep signing players. They can use the biannual exception (a little over $2 mil. for 2 years max), the mid-level (roughly in the $6 million range), the rookie exception (obviously every team has to be able to sign their rookies), the min. player exception (which is vital for teams needing to fill out their rosters), and then the Birds…

It all seems complicated, but really it's a matter of control. The NBA wanted to control overspending, but at the same time, if there were no ways to circumvent the cap, we'd see diluted talent and smaller contracts, which the Players Association would never allow. That said, the negotiation this offseason will be interesting for that very reason – how much will they be willing to cede in the new CBA, faced with this economy? Personally, the Players Association rubs me the wrong way. These aren't children workers being taken advantage of, these are multimillionaires. But the NBAPA won't cede an inch if they can help it.

Just please, don't let there be a lockout.

you are right and i think alot of general managers will tell you thats a big part of why its so hard to complete a trade. its not just about talent but getting the numbers to work.

Whatever happens in terms of trades, I only hope that we don't end up with millionaire players who are not good enough or healthy enough to play, sitting on the bench while collecting their salaries.

One thing for sure, the subject of salary caps and potential trades is a heck of a lot more complicated than it ought to be. At least, in my opinion…………..