Frank Duffy wrote:If Ferry can put together a highlight reel that proves to GS that Hickson isn't just another brain dead athlete like they think AR is, this deal should be pretty easy. If we have competition for AR, we just offer to take on Magette's anchor. They should be eager, and I don't think asking for a 1st rounder would be out of the question. It's only money, and not mine, and, as someone pointed out, preserving over-cap space actually has some value. (Roker would probably do a Peeker brain melt thinking of how to get AR and Magette into the rotation though.)
What gets complicated is whether we offer them Z with a buyout, or burn Wally now. I don't know the rules on Wally - presumably Stern would frown on a complete sham $15M contract - this is where Ferry might have to pull in some chits with Stern to up what's allowable. The key is to remain in the running for a real player to add at the deadline, Bosh of course is the holy grail, but maybe (sheesh) Jamison if that's all that's left on the bargain rack. AR seems to have more buzz in the league than JJ, so that doesn't hurt us. Can we trade and resign Z now, and then trade and resign him again? Doesn't seem likely. Since we'd have to take on bad contracts for Bosh or Antawn, maybe we need to hang onto Z. I'm taking it for granted that, like Cass, Ferry won't consider trading Shaq this year, even for Bosh.
Cass, you're the acknowledged cap genius - care to enlighten us on the Wally/Z rules?
Macphisto is the cap genius, but he's no longer posting here. From what I understand, these are the rules as pertaining to Z and Wally:
Z: If Z is traded and is bought out of his contract, he can sign with any team besides the Cavs immediately. He has to wait 30 days to re-sign with the Cavs, during which he'll probably need to consider all offers from teams so that it doesn't look completely like he's biding his time until he can re-sign here. Wherever he goes, the deal will likely be for one year and something close to the veteran's minimum.
Z can't be signed and traded twice between now and the deadline. Once a player is signed to a new contract, there is a hold period of I think 60 days before that player can be dealt. S&T scenarios are the exception, and they follow very specific guidelines for what can and can't be done.
I expect that the current buyout rules will be re-done in the next CBA. The Celtics benefitted greatly from the buyout rules in their title-winning season, plucking Sam Cassell and P.J. Brown from the clearance rack. The Cavs got Joe Smith back on a buyout. The Pistons nickel-slugged Dyess back from the Nuggets early last year. It's a loophole, and if Z is dealt, gets a buyout and re-signs here, it will only reinfornce to the league that certain teams are benefitting from the setup more than others.
I think you'll see some kind of a waiver system put in place with the next CBA, so that players who are released from their contracts can't just become UFAs. It might be something similar to baseball's system, where the worst teams have the right of first refusal, and teams can place a claim to block other teams. Then, when a player is bought out, there is an order as to where they can go. Right now, the NBA's system is ripe for, say, a healthy T-Mac to get bought out by the Rockets, go to a contender and violently shift the balance of power in a conference for basically nothing more than a vet's minimum contract.
Wally: The KVH example is a good one. Basically, Wally is a UFA. He's not under contract but he hasn't filed his retirement paperwork. But the Cavs still control his trade and Bird rights (and I believe still have a cap hold for a percentage of his '08-'09 salary) until he either signs somewhere or retires.
What that means is the Cavs can negotiate a S&T with another team looking for cap relief. But the NBA is going to be watching to make sure the deal isn't a total sham. Wally would need to be able to play, which means his knee has to be game-ready. He can't just go to a team, sit on the inactive list and never dress. Like if Brad Daugherty had never filed his retirement paperwork, the Cavs couldn't just ink him to a 1-year deal in January and trade him to a team looking for cap relief. Basically, the deal can't be a total competitive farce.
Other than that, if Wally, the Cavs and another team can make it work, the deal can happen. The Cavs are still eligible to use their rights to Wally in a deal.
