SportsFan Magazine -- Celebrating the Life and Times of America's Sports Fans

Nobody tells Isiah Thomas how to run his team.

Nobody.

This summer’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement featured a one-time amnesty clause that allows every team over the salary cap to waive a player in order for some luxury tax relief. Everyone familiar with the rule picked Knicks’ shooting guard Allan Houston as the amnesty poster boy, going as far as to naming this provision the “Allan Houston Rule,” a phrase coined by ESPN.com’s Mark Stein. Since the oft-injured and decreasingly effective Houston is on the books for about $40 million over the next two seasons, Commissioner David Stern threw his marquee franchise a minor life preserver.

There are three explanations as to why Houston wasn’t cut loose on the amnesty deadline: 1) Houston is nearly recovered from his various injuries and has started shooting the ball like he did four years ago. All of this criticism has lit a fire under the 34-year-old Houston and he’s poised to leapfrog Quentin Richardson and Jamal Crawford on the depth chart. 2) Houston’s injures are much worse than we’re led to believe, which might result in his retirement before the season starts and major savings for the Knicks. This one’s looking likelier every day. 3) Isiah Thomas feels that saving $21.3 million in luxury tax over the next three years (thanks to waiving Jerome Williams) is a better business decision than saving $40 million over the next two.

Many teams used this provision to waive luxury tax responsibility for players that no longer suit up for that team. Alonzo Mourning, Howard Eisley, Wesley Person, Eddie Robinson, Vin Baker, Derrick Coleman, and Reggie Miller all fall under this category. None of them are unrestricted free agents because they’re either under contract for their current teams or, in Miller’s case, they’ve retired.

However, the amnesty clause did result in some talented players becoming unrestricted free agents. Since everyone waived under this rule will still receive every dime of their original contracts, expect to see teams land most of these guys on the cheap (relatively speaking). Only in the NBA can a player underachieve throughout the course of a mammoth contract and end up receiving two seven/eight-figure paychecks. What a league.

Without any further ado, here’s one man’s ballot for the first (and only) All-Amnesty teams. Placement on this list is reserved only for players waived under the amnesty clause who are still searching for that second paycheck.

First Team

Michael Finley. Currently the biggest prize on the free agent market, the Mavs cut Finley loose, saving themselves over $50 million in luxury tax payments. He might be on the downhill slope of his career, but he’s still a premier scorer who could make a huge difference for a contender. Everyone from Miami to Detroit to San Antonio to Phoenix has expressed interest in Finley. However, Denver makes the most sense, since they can offer him more money and a starting 2-guard spot. Whoever wins the Finley sweepstakes will be getting one of the biggest bargains in this season’s free agent market.

Derek Anderson. After being the first victim (or, more accurately, lottery winner) of the amnesty clause, Anderson will likely end up with one of the teams that misses out on Finley. Injuries have definitely taken a toll on his once-promising career, but the man still has a beautiful shooting stroke and could add a major scoring lift of the bench for any number of teams.

Fred Hoiberg. I can’t believe the Timberwolves waived the Mayor. He’s scheduled to only make a shade over $1.7 million next season, which won’t make-or-break Minnesota’s bottom line. At the same time, the abominable Michael Olowokani is on the books for just under $6 million. He’s one of the NBA’s best perimeter shooters, hitting over 48% from three last season. He’s also ten times more likely to make a good play than a turnover every time he gets the ball. Everyone loves playing with him. Guys like Hoiberg are necessary for any deep playoff run. Perhaps this move has something to do with the heart procedure he underwent this summer (best of luck to a speedy recovery, Mr. Hoiberg). Regardless, someone like the Spurs will happily snag the Mayor.

Jerome Williams. Since the Knicks’ front-court is loaded with power forwards, Thomas decided to waive one of the hardest workers on his team. On the bright side, this will open up more minutes for Mike Sweetney — one of the league’s better-kept secrets. Williams, 32, is still a fan-favorite and a better-than-average rebounder. Last season was one of Williams’s worst, but some team will definitely be able to find him 20-25 minutes a game to hustle and board. Plus, he owns one of the league’s best nicknames—the Junkyard Dog.

Brian Grant. Last season was one Grant would definitely like to forget. After being dealt to Los Angeles, he only managed 3.8 points and 3.8 rebounds in 16.5 minutes per game. Many contenders teams (Phoenix topping the list) are still on the lookout for hard-nosed, blue-collar bigmen. At $30 million over the next two seasons, he’s a disaster, but if he signs with someone for around the veteran’s minimum, he’ll be quite a bargain.

All-Amnesty Second Team

Troy Bell. After a terrific college career at Boston College, Bell has had trouble cracking Memphis’s 19-man rotation. One can’t help but wonder why Jerry West wouldn’t hold on to Bell (scheduled to make only $1.5 million next season), now that the two men expected to man the point guard position (Bobby Jackson and Damon Stoudamire) both have histories of missing considerable chunks of time. I’m guessing it’s because Bell’s tweener status has hindered him from becoming a true NBA contributor. Or perhaps because Bell has only played in six NBA games for eleven NBA minutes.

Ron Mercer. With Vince Carter, Richard Jefferson, and rookie Antoine Wright in New Jersey, there simply isn’t enough room on the Nets’ roster for Mercer. After being a legit scoring threat through his first five years in the league, Mercer’s production has sharply dropped off since being dealt to the Pacers in 2002. The jury’s still out on whether the 29-year-old Mercer can contribute at a high level again.

Aaron McKie. The former 6th man of the year had a rough 2004-2005, only playing 16 minutes a contest and averaging a paltry 2.2 points a game. McKie’s defensive footspeed has also slowed slightly over the past couple seasons, but he’s still got plenty of gas in the tank to help out as a backup 2-guard. With Finley, Anderson, and Hoiberg ahead of him, McKie will likely have to settle for whichever team loses out on those players.

Clarence Weatherspoon. I planned to write something insightful and worthwhile here, but, frankly, I forgot the ‘Spoon was still in the league. He’s still only 34, so if some team still needs a thick, but undersized 4-man to battle down low, Weatherspoon might be your guy.

Calvin Booth. He’s 7-feet and six fouls. That’s it.

Special Mention: Doug Christie. He’s ineligible for my All-Amnesty teams because he’s reportedly agreed to a one-year, $3 million deal with the Dallas Mavericks. Hypothetically, he’s the perfect fit for Dallas — a defensive-minded perimeter player who will do everything the Mavs have been missing during the Mark Cuban era. But after a rough, injury-riddled season in Orlando where he spent more time filming a reality show than he did on the court, Christie has a lot of work to do to get back to where he was in Sacramento. Typically, this is where I would write a snide, sarcastic comment about Christie’s unfathomable committed relationship with his wife, Jackie, but to be honest, she scares me to death.

-SFM-

Nick Prevenas is a basketball columnist for SportsFan Magazine.


Privacy Policy \| Terms \| Site Map		©1999-2010 SportsFanMagazine
Search this site \|		Site by Emhcee