ducks
05-30-2005, 05:17 PM
Howard Eisley
Remember him? Journeyman point guard. Played in Utah this season (5.6 points and 3.4 assist in 19 minutes a game), though you'd be forgiven if you thought the man retired. Mark Cuban and the Dallas Nelsons decided to sign Howard away from Utah before the '00-01 season, giving him a large contract in the hopes that he'd beat Nash out for the starting point guard slot. Nash had only managed to play in 56 games and average 27 minutes a game in the season prior, but he blossomed in his third season with the Mavs, and Eisley was sent to the Knicks the next summer.
What does this have to do with, well, anything? The Suns own the rights to Eisley's expiring contract -- something close to $7 million -- that comes off of the salary cap in '06. This offer the Suns a fair amount of cap flexibility to re-ink Joe Johnson or Amare Stoudemire (both have extensions coming), or to parlay that cap figure into a trade for some much-needed depth. Once again, Mark Cuban with the assist.
Remember him? Journeyman point guard. Played in Utah this season (5.6 points and 3.4 assist in 19 minutes a game), though you'd be forgiven if you thought the man retired. Mark Cuban and the Dallas Nelsons decided to sign Howard away from Utah before the '00-01 season, giving him a large contract in the hopes that he'd beat Nash out for the starting point guard slot. Nash had only managed to play in 56 games and average 27 minutes a game in the season prior, but he blossomed in his third season with the Mavs, and Eisley was sent to the Knicks the next summer.
What does this have to do with, well, anything? The Suns own the rights to Eisley's expiring contract -- something close to $7 million -- that comes off of the salary cap in '06. This offer the Suns a fair amount of cap flexibility to re-ink Joe Johnson or Amare Stoudemire (both have extensions coming), or to parlay that cap figure into a trade for some much-needed depth. Once again, Mark Cuban with the assist.