Express-News: Finley looms large with amnesty window closing

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Originally Posted by Marcus Bryant

More minutes in Phoenix, but the Spurs can offer slightly more $ (and that's assuming that the Suns have their LLE).

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Yeah, I wasn't aware of Phoenix's exception situation. If that's true, that's another mark in favor of the Spurs. Ultimately, the amount paid out by his next team is essentially irrelevant, since it appears that the Mavericks will get at least some partial discount on Finley's future salaries based on the salary paid by any team that signs Mike. That is, he's not likely to get a windfall if he signs for anything close to the MLE, because Dallas will owe him his 2005-06 salary - that amount. The money is the same for him wherever he goes.

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Originally Posted by MarcusBryant

Yeah, he can play a little closer to his Dallas home (if that matters to him) and, yes, have a chance to beat down the Mavs 4 times a season as well as potential postseason matchups (again, assuming that matters to him).

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I think, ultimately, his decision will depend on the degree of animosity he harbors towards Cuban and the Mavericks and the extent to which he wants to reunite with Nash and feels comfortable in Phoenix. San Antonio certainly makes sense for Finley, but logic doesn't necessarily decide NBA transactions.

I'm torn on whether Finley to SA is a great move for the Spurs.

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Originally Posted by FromWayDowntown

Yeah, I wasn't aware of Phoenix's exception situation. If that's true, that's another mark in favor of the Spurs. Ultimately, the amount paid out by his next team is essentially irrelevant, since it appears that the Mavericks will get at least some partial discount on Finley's future salaries based on the salary paid by any team that signs Mike. That is, he's not likely to get a windfall if he signs for anything close to the MLE, because Dallas will owe him his 2005-06 salary - that amount. The money is the same for him wherever he goes.

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As my aging memory recalls, the relief the Mavs would get from the salary Finley would get from his next team would be on how much his original deal would count against their cap, not necessarily a reduction in the amount of the cash going out.

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I think, ultimately, his decision will depend on the degree of animosity he harbors towards Cuban and the Mavericks and the extent to which he wants to reunite with Nash and feels comfortable in Phoenix. San Antonio certainly makes sense for Finley, but logic doesn't necessarily decide NBA transactions.

I'm torn on whether Finley to SA is a great move for the Spurs.

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If he comes to SA, doesn't gripe about the minutes, plays D and plays the O he's capable of then it would be a coup for the Spurs.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/3892708

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Finley about to become an ex-Maverick
Fort Worth Star-Telegram (registration required)
The Star-Telegram's Dwain Price reports that the Mavericks will likely waive Michael Finley today. Rumor has it that Finley plans to sign with the Heat.

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Steve Kerr with yahoo sports is also reporting a supposed Finley to the Heat.

"....Question mark: Miami Heat
The Heat are supposedly on the verge of landing Michael Finley. After already adding Antoine Walker and Jason Williams, there's no question that Miami has upgraded its roster big time....."

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slu...yhoo&type=lgns

Too bad the Heat can only play the game with one basketball.

I call bullshit.

Last minute desperate attempt to coerce a trade from a team who might be afraid of the Heat signing Finley.

I thought I read yesterday that Finley was considering the Pistons too. I guess we won't know until it all falls out.

yeah I cant wait for next season to come around and watch J Will and Antoine on the court at the same time jacking up 3's and other bad shots

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Originally Posted by Marcus Bryant

As my aging memory recalls, the relief the Mavs would get from the salary Finley would get from his next team would be on how much his original deal would count against their cap, not necessarily a reduction in the amount of the cash going out.

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I'm finding, as time passes, that the vagaries of the amnesty rule have been reported with less and less certainty. I have to say, now that I think about it, that your understanding sounds much more likely to me than mine, since I can't imagine the players being cool with allowing an outright waiver and a net zero gain for any of the waived players. I take back my earlier statement.

The Miami thing sounds fishy to me, unless he's just decided that he wants to play with Shaq, in the East, or in a glamour market. He's going to get fewer minutes in Miami than anywhere else and fewer touches in those fewer minutes. That team would be strong on paper, but I'd be shocked if that group of egos could coexist for very long.

So if Finley signs with the Heat Ferry gets his PG, Damon Jones.

Finley to SA would be great. He would be a great backup to Bruce Almighty. Finley to Miami would be great too, but on paper only. That team doesn't scare me. It will take them a long time to get it going as far as chemistry goes and as far as learning how to play with one another. Too many guys on that team who will want the ball. Shaq would be option #1 followed by D-Wade then what? A. Walker? Finley (if he goes)? J-Will? Come on.

I read today on rumors and trades on ESPN that Spree might be headed to Detroit. I wonder how all that will play in these trade rumors for Finley.

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Originally Posted by Dos

I read today on rumors and trades on ESPN that Spree might be headed to Detroit. I wonder how all that will play in these trade rumors for Finley.

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Does DET have their MLE?

HERES SOME STUFF ON AMNESTY






Now you want to know how it works.


Herewith, then, is an FAQ to explain every aspect of the rule.


Q: What is the amnesty clause?


A: This new provision grants teams a one-time exception to waive a player without paying any further luxury tax on the player's contract, regardless of how long or how rich the contract is.


Q: What is the deadline for capitalizing on this provision?


A: The window for releasing an amnesty player opened when the new labor agreement took effect Aug. 2 and ends Monday at midnight. At the urging of the union and various teams, the deadline was brought forward to Aug. 15 from Oct. 1 so amnesty players aren't shut out of the free-agent market all summer and left scrambling for a new team two days before training camps start.


Q: Can teams save this one-time exception for later in the season or future seasons?


A: No. NBA front-office sources told ESPN.com that multiple teams have pushed for the rule to be tweaked to allow teams to be able to save the one-time provision for use during any of the six seasons in the new labor agreement. The league, however, refused to budge.


Q: Do teams have to waive a player?


A: No. The league-wide consensus actually suggests that fewer than half of the NBA's 30 teams will make use of the amnesty provision.


Q: Does the contract of an amnesty player drop off a team's payroll?


A: No. And the provision provides only luxury-tax relief, with no salary-cap relief. So a team can't release a player to gain cap space.


Q: But any player on a team's roster can be released?


A: Yes. Any player who appears on a team's 2005-06 payroll list is eligible -- except those acquired after June 21.


That includes players who are no longer with a team but whose salary still appears on the payroll. One prominent example is Alonzo Mourning, whose contract was bought out by Toronto for an estimated $11 million in March. Mourning has since signed with the Miami Heat, but the Raptors can still make Mourning their amnesty player to avoid paying the luxury tax on what they still owe him.

Boston (with Vin Baker) and Phoenix (Howard Eisley) are also expected to use the amnesty clause in this manner.


Q: Can a team re-sign its own amnesty player at a later date?


A: No. Amnesty players are strictly prohibited from re-signing with the team that released them for the life of the terminated contract.

The league also snuffed out the possibility that teams might try to trade around this stipulation by including the June 21 deadline for players to be eligible to be released via the amnesty clause.


Let's say Dallas wanted to trade Michael Finley to Toronto in exchange for Jalen Rose, with the Mavericks and Raptors agreeing to use their amnesty slot to release each player so both could sign back with their original teams at a reduced price. Because such a trade couldn't be completed before June 21, neither player could be released with amnesty, meaning that the Mavericks and Raptors would get no tax break from such an arrangement.


Q: Can one team sign multiple amnesty players?


A: Yes. Let's say, hypothetically, that Derek Anderson and Brian Grant both wanted to sign with Detroit. Both would become unrestricted free agents after being released by the Blazers and Lakers, so the Pistons would indeed have the right to sign both.


Q: Who does this rule benefit the most?


A: Teams with extremely high payrolls. New York and Dallas can save roughly $40 million and $50 million, respectively, in luxury-tax payments by releasing Allan Houston and Finley if they wish. But it's not bad for those players, either. Finley, for example, would be guaranteed every penny of the $52 million left on his Mavericks contract -- albeit spread out in annual installments of less than $5 million -- while also becoming an unrestricted free agent who can sign a separate long-term contract.


Q: Is there a reduction in a team's financial obligation to an amnesty player once he signs a new contract with another team? Or can a player double-dip?


A: The union fought to make double-dipping permissable, but the league held firm and won the right in the end to apply the usual set-off provision for players released with money owed to any amnesty player's new contract. That means a percentage of the player's new salary will go back to the team that released him.


Q: Can a team that doesn't have a payroll exceeding the luxury-tax threshold exercise the amnesty option?


A: Yes. Even if a team isn't on course to pay luxury tax after the 2005-06 season, it can elect to make an amnesty waiver if it anticipates a tax-paying situation down the road. A team could determine that a amnesty move now would save money later, but the decision has to be made this month with the amnesty option only available through Aug. 15.


Q: Why was this rule adopted and what are teams really gaining if releasing an amnesty player results in no cap relief and doesn't stop the player from collecting all of his checks?


A: Taxpaying teams have long complained that the NBA's financial system offers no mechanism for teams to undo or recover from a contract mistake. This is a one-time chance for teams to at least free themselves of the tax consequences of what is deemed a bad contract.


Sources indicate that some of the league's smaller-market (and more fiscally responsible) teams fought the implementation of the amnesty clause, arguing that the league's big spenders already have big advantages when it comes to player acquisition. Those appeals were denied.


Q: New York's Allan Houston has been mentioned so frequently as an amnesty candidate since June that some refer to this clause as the "Allan Houston Rule." Why have the Knicks reportedly decided not to waive Houston?


A: Houston has a close relationship with Knicks owner James Dolan and, according to NBA front-office sources, has convinced Dolan that he plans to retire if his arthritic knees prove unstable in training camp this October. Should Houston retire, New York wouldn't need to waive him now to come away with some substantial savings. Releasing Houston on Monday would spare the Knicks nearly $40 million in future luxury-tax payments, but if Houston is forced to retire because of health reasons, insurance would pay the bulk his remaining salary. Dolan would prefer not to release Houston if he doesn't have to and the fact New York has other amnesty options -- such as forward Jerome Williams (due $21.3 million over three seasons) and the leftover $18 million still owed to the bought-out Shandon Anderson -- helps Houston's cause

Don't be surprised if the Detroit Pistons, under new coach Flip Saunders, signs Timberwolves free agent Latrell Sprewell.
-- St. Paul Pioneer-Press

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...nba/index.html

According to Dallas radio, the Mavs have said that Finley will almost definately sign with Miami if waived...

Beno Udrih blows and i am sick of you people including him in the roster.

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Originally Posted by SequSpur

Beno Udrih blows and i am sick of you people including him in the roster.

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i bet my 4$ that he is better than you

Am I missing something here? All these strong rumors of Finley going to Miami...Up until a few hours ago Finley was still part of the Dallas Mavericks and therefore cannot negotiate or have any team negotiate with him, right?

The Grizzlies waived Troy Bell? Isn't he still in a rookie contract? Nice pick Logo. :lol

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Originally Posted by Kori Ellis

Did they sign Wilkens? I know there was a report that he was signing there for five years/$15M, but then I heard that he visited Denver after that.

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No, it was a false report. Two days after that came out there were reports contradicting that.

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Originally Posted by Marcus Bryant

If Minnesota made Brown an offer at that level, then the Spurs would wait the entire 7 day period before matching while also using the rest of their MLE to sign Evans. I guess it's up to Brown if he wants to sign with a smaller market team.

:)

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I'm not 8 years old. I understand how it worked. What i'm asking is at what price does Devin become a question mark for the spurs, regardless if the wolves can offer it or not.