Things aren't quite as simple as it seems. First of all, there are two separate numbers when talking salaries. The cap is only one calculation. The calculation the cba is dealing with in terms of spending is actual money spent. The cap is calculated using a complex formula, whereas money spent in a year is a flat amount of cash actually expended in any given year.
Also, as far as rookie salaries are concerned, we have a rookie pool, but that doesn't mean we just deduct that amount from the cap. After all is said and done, only the top 53 salaries will count when the regular season begins. As of now they count the top 51 salaries. When we add the rookies onto the list of players, they will knock some of the salaries off the list, so that gets added back in. Also, when cuts are made at the end of the pre-season, there is likely to be a few veteran salaries that get cut where rookie salaries are added, thereby adding more to the cap. Even considering our major players all make the team, I wouldn't figure more than about $2 million more off the current cap and that would leave us between 3 and 4 million. Of course we may easily cut some salary before then, and we have possible extensions of other players coming as well, so the cap right now is what it is, and trying to guess what it will be on opening day is pretty fruitless
