Rockets sign Ariza with Disable Player Exception

[PosImpos]

Good signing for Houston, Ariza will be a good player in their system and if Yao and McGrady come back healthy...

I couldn't even finish that sentence.

Yao and McGrady are the same person.  That's why they can never be healthy at the same time.

[P2]

Seems a little shady.  But do you think the Rockets would even want to pay all that extra money for a team that isn't going anywhere next year without Yao?

They gave the Lakers all kinds of problems without Yao and T-Mac.

[Eeyore III]

Seems a little shady.  But do you think the Rockets would even want to pay all that extra money for a team that isn't going anywhere next year without Yao?

They gave the Lakers all kinds of problems without Yao and T-Mac.

Yeah, and next year by the playoffs they're also going to be without Yao and T-Mac.

[BballTim]

  Does this affect Yao's salary counting towards the cap (or, more importantly, the luxury tax)?

[LooseCannon]

If Yao comes back before the end of the season, it doesn't affect anything; there's no penalty for having Ariza on the roster.

That's the key thing. I don't get the logic, but the league has essentially given Houston a second MLE to play with.

It's not something that is automatically granted and there are cases when it hasn't been.  Examples include Cuttino Mobley for the Knicks this year and Grant Hill for the Magic in 2003-2004 (when he ended up missing the season).  A league-appointed doctor independently reviews the case so it's not like Houston's medical staff can lie in order to get another player and it sounds like the NBA generally uses a high threshold.  I think this should be taken as a sign that there is no way that Yao Ming recovers for next season. no matter what the Rockets might say, and any exploration of alternative treatments is just desperate optimism.

Also, to answer what someone asked earlier in the thread, the disabled player exception is half the disabled player's salary or the average salary (MLE), whichever is less.

If I were the Rockets, I might consider saving the MLE for when the mid-season buy-out-mania occurs.  Spending it now puts the Rockets into the luxury tax due to Ariza's contract (the disabled player exception grants no relief on that front).  So if they don't get who they want, instead of settling, maybe they should just see how the roster shakes out and put themselves in position to offer the most money for a player who gets bought out if they think there's enough to make a serious playoff run.

[Chris]

http://www.myfoxhouston.com/dpp/sports/nba/090708_rockets_ariza_yao

So here goes another team that can throw the MLE at Big Baby.

I would be shocked if they go after Baby.  They already have Landry as an undersized PF.  They need to get some more legit size.  I could see them going after someone like Zaza, or maybe make a run at David Lee.

[ma11l]

I don't think every team that has the MLE is going to be calling Big Baby's agent.  I think there might be a touch of homerism and he is overrated around these parts.

[amenhotep04]

Can we use the Disabled Player Exception with TA?  I mean he suffers from anencephaly.

[rondofan9]

Im just happy ariza is not a Faker anymore he was huge for them last year..

[Prof. Clutch]

I like Ariza but get the feeling that he has become just a little overrated.  I know he's young and talented but I don't know if he was worth all the love that he seemed to garner from all these NBA teams.  I think he was the result of surroundings (a fantastic Lakers team) and in another setting may find it hard to produce as he did this year.

[crownsy]

If Yao comes back before the end of the season, it doesn't affect anything; there's no penalty for having Ariza on the roster.

That's the key thing. I don't get the logic, but the league has essentially given Houston a second MLE to play with.

Well, the logic is that a team is missing its best player for the full season.  I personally think this is a good thing, as in theory it keeps a team from losing the ability to be competitive when it loses a key contributor.

Yes, but Yao hasn't been ruled out completely for next year. I've heard he's out only if he elects to have the surgery, and there's another non-surgery option on the table. Granted, the odds aren't that good, but it's possible as of right now that Yao plays next year.

right, but extremely doubtful, and even if he does, its even more doubtful he'll be anything like full strength.

[Ed Teach]

This move definatly makes the Rockets a player in 2010.  They have Ariza wrapped up for a 5 year contract, and still have the MLE to use on another young player.

After next year they have 2 max level contracts in Yao and McGrady that will expire.
So next season they may suck, but they have a chance to turn it around quickly.

I don't expect them to make the playoffs without Yao, so next off season they are most likely a lottery team in the draft and have 2 max contracts to play with.  This could be the Spurs and Ducan all over again.

[Who]

I like Ariza but get the feeling that he has become just a little overrated.  I know he's young and talented but I don't know if he was worth all the love that he seemed to garner from all these NBA teams.  I think he was the result of surroundings (a fantastic Lakers team) and in another setting may find it hard to produce as he did this year.

Ariza is underrated if he can keep knocking that three ball down at a 40% clip. Otherwise, I think he's fairly rated.

[Prof. Clutch]

Ariza is underrated if he can keep knocking that three ball down at a 40% clip. Otherwise, I think he's fairly rated.

Yeah, it just seemed like everyone was scared he was gonna go to the Cavs and I didn't feel like that would be such a big deal.  He suddenly became one of the premier free agents this offseason, and I just don't really get it.  But I guess if he's only getting about the mid level than his contract is fair, which has a lot to do with my perceptions of whether someone is overrated or not.

Still, the system he played in benefited him quite a bit and I don't see how he's gonna be able to do the same with no Kobe/Gasol/Odom type guys to take the attention.  He's going to be asked to do more when there is no Artest/Yao/McGrady now playing for the Rockets.  Is he up to the task?  I don't think so.  But again, his contract is fair.

And on that note, I've been shaking my head all day since reading about Bargnani's 5 year 50 mill contract.  That makes Ariza's deal seem much like a steal.