The Atkins mystery unravelled?

[Mark Piotrowski <markp@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Maybe Ainge isn't as clueless as it looks...

I was just about to write that the biggest problem with adding Atkins 
would be that it precludes us from using the Mid Level Exception b/c it 
puts us over the cap.  But then i remembered (a) only teams OVER the 
cap can actually use the exception and (b) that Wyc, not ThanksDad, is 
the owner now.

I'm just reaching here -- but did Ainge *NEED* to get someone 
relatively cheap but signed for next year (like Atkins) so we'd be over 
the cap so he could go out and use the MLE?  This all assumes Baker 
comes off the cap (a big, big assumption to be sure).

Say for example the C's were $1 mil under the cap, they couldn't have 
added any free agents -- not a unrestricted FA like Arroyo or R. 
Wallace (because they wouldn't have had enough space to make a big 
enough offer), can't make an offer for a restricted FA like Q. 
Richardson or Kenyon Martin (again not enough space), and not an MLE  
b/c they weren't over the cap.

Knowing that he couldn't get far enough under the cap to make a real 
run at players like Q. Richardson, Kenyon Martin, Okur, Dampier, AND 
having the apparent green light from Wyc to add a MLE free agent -- did 
Ainge get Atkins (and Detroit's pick) to trigger the possibilty of an 
MLE?

Am I totally off base here?  (this isn't a rhetorical question)

By my count, the "worst case" scenario MLE-wise would be Mills & James 
leaving, Mihm & Blount opting out, AND being without Atkins or the 
Detroit pick -- we'd be at  $41.28 million -- which is about 2.6 
million under this year's cap ($43.8 mil) , probably a little more 
under next years (just for arguemnts sake lets say next years jumps 
$3mil like last year to $46.8 mil) .

By adding Atkins and Detroit's pick for Mills/James -- even if Mihm and 
Blount walk -- we're at $46.4 million which should be just at/over next 
year's cap ... thus allowing us to add a MLE.  Though if this is all 
true, I'd still had rather added Jahidi White and Pheonix #1 -- but 
maybe that wasn't available given the Googs trade.

This would certainly answer the question of why we'd pay $5 million 
more for a player (atkins) that's not as good as James, only to get a 
#1 pick in return.

Its hard to remember sometimes that ThanksDad isn't running the show 
anymore and that things like the MLE free agent are now actual 
possibilities.  I'm still not sold on who we could add as an MLE -- by 
Wyc was on EEi today saying they have their list.

(the other) mark