Here are the ugly numbers in the small market Jazz trying to keep this team together…......

NOTE: Accoridng to a source I spoke with last night, the NBA salary cap is expected to be about $57.3M next season a drop from the $58.68 the NBA worked with this past season. Also, the luxury tax, where a team pays dollar for dollar the amount it is over will drop from $71.15M (61% of basketball related revenue) to around $70M accoridng to the source. Each team who does not go over the cap ($58.68M this past season), divdes the money over the luxury tax the big boys like New York, LA and Dallas are. It’s a Robin Hood type thing, where the Jazz annually get about $5M from their rich team freinds around the league. So not only do the Jazz not have to pay, they receive free money which a small market team needs and actually budgets for. That is why this team will never go over these numbers, it makes no finacial sense as a business to do so in the #32 media market in the country.

There are an estimated 10 NBA teams with salary cap numbers in excess of $71.15 million and are looking at luxury tax payments this season – New York ($95.9 million), Dallas ($93.2 million), Cleveland ($90.8 million), Portland ($79.1 million), Boston ($78.7 million), Lakers ($78.2 million), Phoenix ($75.1 million), Sacramento ($75.4 million), Toronto ($72.5 million) and Miami ($72.1 million). Based on 2009 salary cap obligations as many as 14 NBA teams could be facing tax next season, and that’s before any free agent business is done. This could turn out to be a very tough summer to be a free agent, and 2010 could be even worse if declines go as expected. Huge drops in the salary cap could motivate the upper echelon free agents to take contract extensions and extend the terms of their current deals rather than hit free agency and smaller possible deals.

With that as the back drop, here are the Jazz salaries for the 2009-2010 season:

ANDREI KIRILENKO: Salary goes up from $15.1M to $16.4M in 2009-10 and the last year in 2010-2011 goes to $17.8M
DERON WILLIAMS: Salary jummps from $5.1M to $13.8M in first year of three-year extension
CARLOS BOOZER: 2009-2010 salary was $11.6M and he can opt out as we all know. If he were to stay he would get $12.4M, he’s looking for $14-15M per.
MEMO: Last season Memo made $8.5M and he can opt out of the last year at $9M. He wants $10-12M.
MATT HARPRING: Owed $6.5M on last year of deal in 2009-2010.
KYLE KORVER: Can opt out or is owed $5.4M next season.
CJ MILES: Is owed $3.7M the next 2 seasons and then the Jazz have a 3.7M option on the 4th year of deal.
RONNIE BREWER: Owed $2.7M next season with a team option for $3.8 in 2010-2011, eligible to sign an extension this off-season like D-Will did last off-season.
KOSTA KOUFOS: $1.2M next season with team options of $1.3 and $2.2 and $3.2M after that.
PAUL MILLSAP: Made the lowest salary on the team last season $797,513. In line for a 5-year $30-35M deal on the open maket.
K-FEZ: Made $810,000 this past season, Jazz have a $870,000 option for next season.

 

FREE AGENTS

RONNIE PRICE
BREVIN KNIGHT
JARRON COLLINS
MORRIS ALMOND

BOTTOM LINE

SALARY COMMITED TO 2009-2010 WITH NO OPT OUTS: $77.8M
SALARY WITH PROJECTED RAISES: $83M
BOTTOM LINE: Jazz will have to cut around $20M from projcted payroll to say under cap, not just luxury tax…....

 

 

Let’s play the Jazz game of who’s staying and who’s going….......

 

STAYING

1. DERON WILLIAMS: The team’s $70M dollar man wants some say in who comes, who goes and who stays. He signed the short term 3-year deal so the clocking is ticking now.

2. ANDREI KIRILENKO: Unless Isiah Thomas resurfaces, the Jazz are stuck with the worst contract in the NBA. $15M for a moody underachiver with the mouthy wife.

3. CJ MILES: Jazz shouldn’t have matched OKC’s offer last off-season. Will make about $4M next season.

4. MATT HARPRING: Unless he retires and he should, Jazz are stuck with $6M for one more season of MASH unit Matt.

5. KOSTA KOUFOS: Entering second year of rookie deal and shows promise.

GONZO

1. CARLOS BOOZER: Mutual decesion. Jazz need the financial flexibilty, Pistons need a PF to replace Rasheed. Done and done.

2. RONNIE PRICE: Nice audtion late vs. Lakers for another team. proved he’s a #2 in last year’s playoffs but Jazz didn’t pay attention. His resentment towards orginization for that means he’ll be somewhere else next season.

3. BREVIN KNIGHT: If he comes back SLC will riot. Not a Derek Fisher type leader because he’s hardly ever been to the playoffs, let alone won a title. His shot makes Ronnie Brewer’s look like Kyle Korver’s.

4. K-FEZ: He’s had enough of Orem and the Jazz have had enough of him not taking the NBA seriously enough. At least we’ll always have the hair.

5. JERRON COLLINS: Proved in the Lakers series that the gravy train is over. They don’t have posse’s at Stanford so I’m sure he saved his “well earned” money.

6. MORRIS ALMOND: Jazz didn’t pick up his rookie year option of $1.15M and he’s anxious to show he’s not just a D-League phenom. Never got a real chance and the Jazz may regret letting him go if Korver opts out and leaves.

SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO NOW?

1. PAUL MILLSAP: Jazz want him back and he’ll go from lowest paid player on the team to 5-years and $30-35M. Should be back unless some team throws crazy money at him which could happen based on “the streak”.

2. MEMO: Likely to opt out and Jazz could use him as a sign and trade chip for a defensive minded big man. Can’t play the undersized Millsap and Memo together for long stretches defensively.

3. RONNIE BREWER: Brewer is a Sloan favorite, but what if Jerry isn’t around? Also is eligibale for an extension that the Jazz may or may not be able to afford given the other priorities this off-season. Could also be used in a trade to aquire a big man or a shooter if Korver and Memo leave.

4. JERRY SLOAN: Maybe his toughest season from a personal and professional stand point. Lost Larry Miller, his brother and former Bulls teammates Red Kerr and Norm Van Leir. Will decide in the next couple of weeks on the farm if he’s coming back for year #21.

5.  KYLE KORVER: Jazz fans not as in love as they were with dreamy Kyle last year. Can opt out but not sure if he can get more than the $6M he’s owed. he doesn’t let on how much he likes or doesn’t like playing in Utah. He does like the East though….....

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HANS AND KEVIN ROCK IN ROCKBAND….....SO THEY THINK…

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Still more to come…......Stay tuned!

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