By Nick Prevenas 7/7/05 I hope everyone had a terrific Fourth of July weekend. Most people tend to spend Independence Day barbecuing, setting off fireworks, watching a ballgame, or marveling at Takeru Kobayashi's Jordan-like dominance in the hot-dog eating contest. Me, I spent the weekend reading over the NBA's new Collective Bargaining Agreement. In a related note, I'm single. My favorite new provision hasn't been widely discussed. This summer, each NBA team will have the option to waive one player from their roster for added luxury tax relief. This isn't a straight cut like in the NFL, however. The team is still responsible for that player's salary and the subsequent cap hit, but that player's salary won't count towards the team's taxable payroll. With the salary cap increasing by $4-6 million, many teams will see lower luxury tax bills. No team will benefit from this rule more than the New York Knicks. With the calcifying Allan Houston eating up $40 million in salary over the next two seasons, the Knicks will save the dollar-for-dollar luxury tax they would otherwise have to pay, assuming the Knicks let him go. Other players expected to become unrestricted free agents as a result of this rule are Michael Finley, Jalen Rose, Austin Croshere, and Brian Grant. But none of these players are uselessly eating up salary quite like Allan Houston. Granted, many teams will benefit from this rule (especially Dallas and Indiana), but I have a hard time believing this rule would've even been discussed if the Jazz or the Hawks were facing the Knicks' financial situation. The Knicks are the league's marquee franchise. It's in nobody's best financial interest to see them struggling. After years of questionable (and I'm being verrrry nice with my choice of words) front office moves, the new CBA gives them a mini-mulligan to help right the ship. They'll still pay a hefty luxury tax (in the $20 million range, depending on where the final cap number settles), but it's roughly half of what they would've paid without this rule. Another interesting wrinkle with the CBA was how the deal's rough draft contained additional addendums to benefit the Knicks. You know how most books and official documents have those blank pages after the index which serve absolutely no purpose? Well, David Stern and Union chief Billy Hunter wrote, in pencil, a few extra suggestions after all the other signers left. Keep in mind these aren't official, legally binding rules. Yet. 1. During the second quarter of every game after the All-Star break, each team can only play undersized power forwards. If the Knicks start to fall behind the pack in the playoff race, the NBA could enact this bizarre rule to give the Knicks a tremendous advantage during the stretch run. What team could possibly match Mo Taylor, Malik Rose, Mike Sweetney, David Lee, Channing Frye (don't let the 7-foot frame fool you into thinking he's a center), Jerome Williams, and Tim Thomas in an undersized power forward contest? I can't even think of another team that has five players that play the same position, let alone power forward. Many basketball fans criticized Isiah Thomas for loading up on so many overpriced players with similar skills. Little did we know that Isiah was preparing for a rule change that will never ever happen. He's crafty. 2. At random intervals, the shot clock will be lowered to 15 seconds. This is another rule that would benefit a number of teams in the league, especially high-scoring squads like the Phoenix Suns, Washington Wizards, and Seattle Sonics. But the Knicks stand to benefit even more. This rule's main objective would be to turn the Knicks' trigger-happy guards loose and possibly fluster their opponents into ill-advised shots. While it would take many other teams months to get used to this rule, the Knicks should adapt very quickly. Any team with Stephon Marbury, Quentin Richardson, and Jamal Crawford would ultimately be playing with a 15-second shot clock regardless, so this rule simply reinforces what these players do best. Also, a 15-second shot clock will bail out poor defensive players who are constantly trying to run out on the break while their team is still playing defense (i.e. Tim Thomas). 3. The Salary Cap will be judged with the Stableford Scoring System, leading to a one-time-only "Stableford" salary exemption. Call this the "break glass in case of emergency" rule. Taking a page from Golf's playbook, the NBA is flirting with using the inventive Stableford Scoring System to analyze a team's cap situation. For those not familiar with the system, the Stableford awards two points for a birdie, five points for an eagle, and eight points for a double eagle. A bogey results in a one-point deduction and a double bogey results in a two-point loss. So instead of shooting for negative numbers, the players look to tally the highest point total. For the NBA's purposes, the league will look at how many millions a team is over the cap. In the Knicks' case, they're expected to be nearly $40 million over going into next season. The league will take that figure, divide it by pi, and that number will be that team's "Stableford" exemption going into free agency. So instead of looking to stay below the cap (read: par), teams will be shooting for high numbers. If the Knicks remain $40 million over the cap, their "Stableford" exemption will be roughly $12.7 million. They would have that money to chase any free agent they want. The PGA only uses the Stableford system once in a great while, so expect to see the NBA use their version sparingly. Each team can only use this "Stableford" exemption once, so they must make sure to use it properly. This rule's primary focus is to make sure the Knicks sign LeBron James after the 2005-2006 season. These suggestions might seem outlandish to some, but the idea of seeing the Knicks in the lottery for another couple of seasons has many people in the league very nervous. Plus, if the Knicks continue to struggle, Spike Lee might continue making films like "She Hate Me." Did anyone see "She Hate Me"? Didn't think so. Drastic times call for drastic measures. Besides, none of this stuff is crazier than the league cooling the Knicks' lottery envelope to ensure they would receive the #1 selection (and, in the process, Georgetown sensation Patrick Ewing) in the 1985 draft. http://nbadraft.net/prevenas043.asp
Thay just really hate Isiah because he does not know how to control his teams cap room, and he gets to much small power forwards.
They don't hate knicks, there is just nothing they like about them! <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Also, a 15-second shot clock will bail out poor defensive players who are constantly trying to run out on the break while their team is still playing defense (i.e. Tim Thomas).</div> Funny one... <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Plus, if the Knicks continue to struggle, Spike Lee might continue making films like "She Hate Me." Did anyone see "She Hate Me"? Didn't think so.</div> Ok, I did not get this part. I saw the movie, and it is about one guy in NY who makes lesbians pregnant.... cool movie by the way...
I don't pay attention to stuff like this. There are Knick haters everywhere, but don't get angry over a source calling Tim Thomas a power forward.
