The Spurs don't have room for Kobe

[Poindexter Einstein]

I am so tired of the sloppy crap being spouted by people who say and think the Spurs have so much cap room that they could sign Kobe this summer.

That is just not true. It is sloppy math.

An article at Fish' site today gives the raw numbers. Even if the Spurs push things to the extreme, could they afford Kobe on a max contract? Unless the Team Cap goes up sharply next year (and it is instead expected to stay about the same), there is NO WAY.

With an anticipated cap of $44M next year, how much room could the Spurs obtain to free up Kobe?

UNDER $10 MILLION


Here are the numbers, and how close the Spurs could get by doing everything within their means.

Kobe's current contract that he would opt out of: $14,625,000 for 2004-05.
Max contract for 2004-05 for Kobe, new deal: $14,172,375 in yr 1

Spurs current impending cap charges for 2004-05. (copied from David Lord article at dallasbasketball.com)
Duncan 14,260,649
Nesterovic 6,160,000
Rose 5,462,500
Bowen 4.106,667
Parker 1.545,441
Brown 695,046
Turkoglu 2,803,834 cap hit for qualifying offer for RFA
Ginobili 1,929,375 cap hit for qualifying offer for RFA
Ward 1,100,000 player option, perhaps might opt out
Horry 5,408,700 non-guaranteed, likely July 1 cut
Rookie scale for 1st pick 750,000 estimated
CURRENT TOTAL ...... 44,222,212

Things Spurs can do to reduce impending cap charges: persuade Ward to opt out. Renounce rights to Turkoglu, Ginobili, and Horry. Give away, trade, or renounce #1 pick.

Resulting cap for 2004-05: Duncan, Nesterovic, Rose, Bowen, Parker, Brown total 32,230,303. Before adding Kobe, you must leave room for 5 other players at the minimum per CBA rules to field a full roster - your cap always carries a rookie minimum slot charge for unfilled slots - total 1,926,385.

Minimum cap number for SA for 2004-05, if they max their room to sign Kobe - 34,156,688.

Thus with an anticipated cap of $44M or so, the Spurs have $10M or less to offer Kobe. And they would have to gut their team to even get that amount free.

Does Kobe toss away $14.6M for one year or a long term deal starting at over $14M, to sign a deal starting at under $10M? No way. Over a 7 year deal, with max raises in each deal, the difference becomes over $40M!

[aexchange]

please learn to post in the proper sections.

[MavsFanatik33]

NO WAY KOBE BECOMES A SPUR

I'll make a high money stake on that one

[mavsman55]

Along with the statistical monetary numbers, there is no way he'd fit in to the game plan. With Parker on the rise and Duncan carrying a good portion of the load, there'd be no way for Kobe to be the team leader that he's been for so long in LA. Even with Shaq, GP and Malone.

[NYCdog]

These are the places Kobe could logicaly end up......(Sorry SA, your not in the bunch)

Return home via trade involving AI.........


Get his wish and stay in LA, but not as a Laker..........


Be reunited with Jerry West....(with West involved, anything can happen)


Just go for the money........