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Finley is done...washed up...chokes in the playoffs...whatever
anyone who thinks this guy would be a great addition to the Spurs, still believes in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny
For those of you who have been advocating the Spurs go after Finley (of course, I'm on record as someone who is dead set against this), don't hold your breath waiting on the Mavs to release him right away, if at all. (See below)
Posted on Wed, Jul. 27, 2005
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/sports/12234144.htm
STAR-TELEGRAM/RON JENKINS
Michael Finley will be looking for a new team, but the Mavericks would rather trade him than let him go for nothing.
If Finley leaves, Mavs hope it's by trade
By ART GARCIA
STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER
If the Mavericks so choose, they can release Michael Finley as early as next week.
They won't. While Finley's departure remains academic, don't bet on it coming by way of the "amnesty" clause in the NBA's new collective bargaining agreement, which is expected to be approved early next week. Trading the longest-tenured Maverick has become the preferred vehicle of exit.
And it may prove to be the only one.
The Mavs have at least one deal on the table for Finley, possibly with Orlando, that satisfies Mark Cuban's requirement of receiving expiring contracts in return. The Mavs will continue to pursue a trade and could easily wait until the eve of training camp before deciding Finley's fate.
Even if the Mavs don't receive a better offer, the team is leaning strongly against making Finley a free agent through the amnesty clause. No one in the Mavs front office wants to see Finley sign with a Western Conference rival, such as Phoenix with Steve Nash, Denver, San Antonio or Houston.
Don't count on Finley's situation being settled for at least two months.
As for next week, teams can also begin signing free agents, and the Mavs are in the running for center Steven Hunter. The 7-footer spent last season with Phoenix after three years in Orlando.
Adding an athletic body to the frontcourt is an area the Mavs want to address. Hunter's agent, Mark Bartelstein, said several teams, including the Mavs, are pursuing the 24-year-old, who averaged 4.6 points and 3.0 rebounds with the Suns.
"We're having a number of conversations, and we'll see what happens," Bartelstein said. "There's a lot of interest in him."
The Mavs will decide whether to spend the $5 million exception on one player, divide it among two or more, or stand relatively pat. Hunter isn't expected to command the full exception.
The Mavs also are searching for a perimeter shooter in the backcourt. Free agent point guard Darrell Armstrong could return as Jason Terry's backup.
"We want to find guys that bring a certain level of dominance to their position," president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson said. "We're still sorting through a lot of scenarios."
Many have to do with Finley. A potential holdup in the trade now being offered is the lack of quality players the Mavs would receive. If the deal is executed, the Mavs would probably cut most, if not all, of the players coming back.
Orlando, Houston, Indiana and Chicago have the necessary contracts to make such a deal work, although the Magic appear to be in the best financial shape to acquire the former two-time All-Star. Finley is also a native of Chicago.
Orlando could be well under the cap for the last two years of Finley's contract, making it easier to absorb his salary. Players the Magic could package include Doug Christie, Tony Battie, Stacey Augmon and Mario Kasun.
The Mavs prefer any deal involving Finley salvage at least one usable player. The team hopes to get a better offer before the Oct. 1 cutoff date to release players under the amnesty clause.
Though his production has fallen off in recent seasons, Finley's impending exit has more to do with money than basketball, because the new labor agreement will allow teams to waive one player to avoid paying the luxury tax. Once the CBA goes into effect, the luxury tax threshold should be about $60 million. Teams pay a dollar-for-dollar penalty on payrolls over that amount.
The Mavs would save up to $51.8 million in luxury tax payments over the next three years by waiving Finley. The team, however, would be responsible for paying the same amount on his contract, with his salary counting against the salary cap (but not the luxury tax threshold) through 2007-08.
Obtaining expiring contracts within 25 percent (plus $100,000) of Finley's $15.9 contract for this season provides substantial bottom-line savings and increased payroll flexibility in the future.
The most the Mavs can take back for Finley is about $20 million in contracts for this season. Paying luxury tax on those deals would mean a one-year outlay of up to $40 million.
Finley would cost the Mavs about $32 million for this season alone if he stayed and nearly $104 million over the next three years.
Besides the $40 million being considerably less than what Finley would cost, the Mavs would have his contract off the books for the next two years. Throw in the expiring contracts of Terry and Keith Van Horn, and the Mavs' payroll drops near the luxury tax threshold for 2006-07. The current payroll is $95 million.
Being in the vicinity of the threshold allows Cuban more breathing room to retain Terry and/or Van Horn, sign other free agents and make trades. Trading Finley would also allow the Mavs to use the amnesty clause on another player, such as Tariq Abdul-Wahad or Shawn Bradley.
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Finley is done...washed up...chokes in the playoffs...whatever
anyone who thinks this guy would be a great addition to the Spurs, still believes in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny
If there was a possibility who would you give for Finley?
Finley makes $16M.. so I guess you'd have to give Duncan
Anyway, it will interesting to see if they can actually trade him. There's been so much speculation about where he'll go when he's waived, that it will be kind of funny if he doesn't get waived at all.
He has averaged 17 and 5 for his career playoff appearances.
I would say not bad. So what if I do believe in Santa Claus.
According to the local D/FW scribes, the Mavs brass is still reeling from the job Nash did on them in the Phoenix series. Apparently, they are bound and determined to control where Finley winds up. They would rather see him go to an Eastern Conference team.
I wouldn't take him for $16M
Definitely not worth that, but to say he is washed up. I would not go that far. Same could have been said about alot of guys in the league but they have proven otherwise (Big Dog).
Why would a team trade for Finley? Especially a team like the Magic. If Doug Christie will be off the books before Finley, why make that trade? Finley is not going to carry a team, so why not wait until the Mavs either waive him or not (and pay that great amount of luxury tax) I think Cuban is screwed no matter what.
who cares what his career playoffs averages are. go back and look at what he did against PHX last year. Except for game two he totally sucked ass
look for more of the same type of performances this coming season
he's done like a burnt piece of toast
Did you actually, WATCH that series???back and look at what he did against PHX last year. Except for game two he totally sucked ass
After Game 2, the Suns focused alot of their defense on HIM, AND, the Mavericks went away from him and forced it to Nowitzki more.
Lose your maverick hate and wake up.
Finley would be an amazing player off the bench for this team.
"Do it Pop"
Do what?"Do it Pop"
The Mavs might not release him. You want the Spurs to trade for him?
"has averaged 17 and 5 for his career playoff appearances."
but those are his peak average numbers. He's on the low side of those numbers from here on out. He either choked or his was offense neutralized (by PHX "defense"?) in the last 3 DAL Ls vs PHX in the playoffs.
Trading for Finley makes absolutely no sense for a team like Orlando. They'd be better off to keep the expiring contracts and have some flexibility to deal for younger players during the season or to gain some capspace and try to find free agents to fill their needs next off-season. It's not as if Orlando is going to compete to win the East next year. But Dwight Howard has a ton of ability and matching him up with another good young player could make that team very, very good going forward.
Picking up Finley would be a step back, IMO.
He did indeed have a bad playoff appearance but also Dirk, Jason Terry and Stackhouse took the bulk of the shots except for game two. To say the guy is toast is silly, he still has some juice and will start and make a difference for another team.
Come on Kori I bet the Mavericks end up releasing him.Do what?
The Mavs might not release him. You want the Spurs to trade for him?
Ever since Cuban has been there, Finley has been in trade rumors from day 1.
I think get released, and ID flop the rest of the MLE at him.
He's not toast, but he is guy whose skills have eroded to a point that he's become a one-dimensional-type of player - a standstill jump shooter. With the exception of Game 2 against Phx last year, he's failed to come up big in the playoffs.
Basically, he's a role player who, if he get to the right team, could contribute.
I think he ends up in Phoenix, especially if the don't match the Hawks offer to JJ.
yes I did watch that series and you just made my case. the suns defense shut finley down? the suns dont play defense. if that dont show you finley's done I dont know what will
finley will never be a good back up...he has started to many games and his ego is too big to fit in a Spurs jersey. I'll stand by my toast statement, and yall can call me on it after next season. by the way only fins post season counts in my book.
For the record, yes I said I would like to get Finley, but that is if, and only if, the Spurs cant get back the Big Dogg. I still want them to get back the Dogg before they try and get any other FA's.
We don't need no stinkin Finley...
I thought we shot that horse over and over again??
Donnie Nelson was on the Ticket in Dallas this morning and said that they are looking at the best possible scenario to trade Finley but didn't sound to optimistic. It looks as though the only real need the mavs have is at center and they are looking to get a reasonable backup to Dampier. If the situation with finley proves that a deal can't be done, they will outright release him. They are trying desperately to get something back for him. And hopefully to them, he won't go to a rival. In another development, he hinted the mavs really want Steven Hunter but they are having to use their MLE to fill three slots.
Look people, the only reason his stats have fallen is because of Nowitzki has taken over most of the scoring and also look how many other scorers the mavs have..To say he has eroded is stupid!!I guess Parker is washed up because of the series he had against the Pistons..The mavs will release him because nobody would take on that contract if they could get him 5 million max contract. I hope the Spurs get him and it will be funny how many people jump on the finley bandwagon once they se how he has eroded!!
Why would my hopes be down because of some homer piece about the Mavs thinking trade?
Of course _allas is going to toe the company line that they're working for a trade. There's only two GMs dumb enough in the league to trade for a contract like Finley's - Isiah and Chris Mullin.
Mullin would have to gut the youth of his team to make it happen, and not even he's that dumb.
Isiah, as dumb as he is, has apparently had someone clue him in that if he doesn't take any more bad deals on he'll have cap room when Lebron's a free agent in a few years.
So that option's out.
Sorry, Finley will be waived before it's all said and done. I think Phoenix is the team to beat in that scenario, but I'd like to think the fact that he'd already have 16 million coming to him from Cuban would take care of the financial aspect enough for him to think about the bling, and the best scenario for him then is the short jaunt down I-35.
Just my opinion but his poor performance against the Suns could have been because Coach A. was asking for more defense, but his heart wasn't in it because Finley knew that collectively the Mavs weren't gonna deliver bigtime D and so wasn't "motivated" to sacrifice, but wouldn't he thrive on our team just as G. Robinson did who was also known for no D?
I just remember Finley hitting basket after basket in years prior whenever playing us and that's the Finley I would like to have.
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