Trade Restrictions for Recently Traded Players

No Reacquiring:
Teams cannot reacquire a player that they traded during a given season (July 1- June 30) unless the player has been waived.

This rule was put in place to block teams from trading a player to make the salaries work with the understanding that the team would then release that player, so he could be resigned by his original team.

However, if a team waits thirty days, then they are able to reacquire that recently traded player. For instance, in the current proposed trade between the Nets and Mavericks, Jerry Stackhouse will immediately be bought out by the Nets, then will sit out for thirty days, and then will resign with the Mavericks.

On February 24, 2005, Alan Henderson was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks along with Calvin Booth for Keith Van Horn. The Bucks then waived Henderson the following day. On March 1, 2005, he re-signed with the Mavericks.

This also occured in a situation with Gary Payton. Like Henderson, Payton was also traded on February 24, 2005 to the Atlanta Hawks in a deal that brought former Celtic Antoine Walker back to Boston. The Hawks then waived Payton immediately following the trade, and he returned a week later to Boston as a free agent. Payton started all 77 games he played for the Celtics and they won the Atlantic Division before losing in the first round to the Indiana Pacers.

Trade/Claim:
If a team is over the cap and receives a player in a trade or claims a player off of waivers, they cannot trade the player in combination with other players for 2 months. The player can be traded by himself.

Some current examples of this include: Pau Gasol, Shaquille O'Neal, Kwame Brown, Shawn Marion, Marcus Banks, Stromile Swift, Jason Collins, Javaris Crittenton.

Trade Proposal: Cavs Add Talent, T'Wolves Dump Salaries

As Minnesota lingers with the worse record in the NBA and Cleveland tries to jump into the top of the East, it looks like it may be time for both teams to make a trade. Minnesota is looking to rid itself of some of their veteran players with long-term contracts and Cleveland is simply looking to upgrade their talent.

Minnesota gets:
Ira Newble, $3,441,900, 1 Year Remaining
Eric Snow, $6,703,125, 2 Years Remaining
Donyell Marshall, $5,566,965, 2 Years Remaining
Shannon Brown, $1,044,120, 1 Year Remaining
2008 First Round Pick

Cleveland gets:
Gerald Green, $1,440,960, 1 Year Remaining
Antoine Walker, $8,329,640, 4 Years Remaining
Marko Jaric, $6,050,000, 4 Years Remaining

In this trade, Minnesota would be ridding themselves of two of their largest player contracts. Green has also expressed displeasure with his playing time and it appears he has fallen out of favor with the coaching staff. At only 22 years old, and 6'8", Green certainly has potential to become a contributer in the NBA. The Timberwolves will receive two players whose contracts expire after this year. The other two - Snow and Marshall - have one more year after this upcoming season, but both may retire.

Cleveland would clearly be getting the better talent in this swap. Walker would immediately become the Cavaliers top big man-perimeter threat and could help take some of the scoring pressure off LeBron James. Jaric would compete for time with Larry Hughes, Daniel Gibson, and Devin Brown for time at either guard spot.

This trade would help both team achieve its current goals: Cleveland would add more talent, while Minnesota would improve their payroll flexibility for future seasons.

Winning Now vs. Building for the Future

After this summer's exile, which saw Ricky Davis, Mark Blount, Juwan Howard, Trenton Hassell, Troy Hudson, Mike James, and Kevin Garnett all come-and-go, it was widely believed that Minnesota was ready to start fresh and rebuild with young, exciting players. Through six games, Minnesota stands at 1-5 with their only win taking place at home against the 2-6 Sacramento Kings.

Some may say it is too early for a team to throw in the towel on a season and begin exclusively playing young players. In Minnesota, I say it is time to do so. Attempt to package Theo Ratliff's $11,666,666 salary with Antoine Walker ($8,547,000 with one year after this remaining). Look to move Marko Jaric (about $27,000,000 over the next four years) to a team looking for scoring from the point guard position. If they cannot move Walker, then it is time to buy him out. Minnesota should target a young wing player who can score or a legitimate center that can help them in the future.

Among the team leaders in minutes played, Ratliff, Greg Buckner, and Marko Jaric all fall in the top seven. Why? Why is Walker getting more than 15 minutes per game? The Timberwolves have put together a nice, promising core that needs experience and growth. Al Jefferson, Sebastian Telfair, Ryan Gomes, Randy Foye, Rashad McCants, Corey Brewer, Craig Smith, and Gerald Green are all promising players all 25 years old or younger.

The coaches and management need to let these kids play together for extended time. This way, after the season, Kevin McHale and the rest of the management can accurately access what they have. Each one of these players have questions around them, but if they do not get extended time this year, then they will not be able to answer them:

• Can Jefferson be a superstar or more of a second leading scorer?
• Can Telfair run an NBA team
• Is Gomes more than just a hustle player?
• Is Foye a point guard or undersized shooting guard?
• Will McCants ever be more than what he is today?
• Can Brewer be counted on to score consistently in the NBA?
• Do Smith's abilities extend beyond rebounding and post defense?
• Is Green a potential 20 point per night guy?

However, if Minnesota continues to play some of their veterans significant minutes, then the team will not be able to determine what they have and what they need. This is an important season for Minnesota in the start of their rebuilding and they cannot waste it away.

Camp lures NBA clientele

OFFSEASON INVESTMENT: Camp lures NBA clientele

Garnett, Billups, others get custom workouts at local Abunassar center

By TODD DEWEY
REVIEW-JOURNAL
Take a summer basketball camp and replace the usual wannabes with about 50 actual NBA players, sprinkling in a handful of stars.

Add some high-tech exercise equipment and innovative training techniques tailored to each athlete.

Arm the coaching staff with certified trainers and physical therapists, and have nutritionists on hand to create customized workout recovery shakes and meals for each player.

Turn the intensity level and music on high, and the finished product is Abunassar Impact Basketball.

Former NBA Most Valuable Player Kevin Garnett and former NBA Finals MVP Chauncey Billups led a parade of 47 players who worked out up to six hours per day, six days per week during the offseason at AIB, located near Palace Station.

Other players who participated included Ron Artest, Al Harrington, Antoine Walker, Cuttino Mobley and Tayshaun Prince.

Previous camp alumni include Andrei Kirilenko, Vince Carter, Baron Davis, Chris Bosh and Paul Pierce.

Joe Abunassar, a former student assistant at Indiana under Bobby Knight and assistant coach at Wyoming, founded AIB, which costs $25,000 per year for NBA players.

The program is apparently well worth it, because Detroit Pistons guard Billups and others say Abunassar has played a key role in making them better players.

"Coming into the league, my skills were good, but they needed a lot of honing," Billups said last month. "(Abunassar) took me from jumping around the league the first couple years to climbing that mountain to being where I got to today."

Abunassar trained five of this year's top 11 NBA Draft picks -- including No. 7 choice Corey Brewer, No. 9 Joakim Noah and No. 11 Acie Law -- and 20 of the 60 overall picks.

"We can change their body composition and we can change their game in six weeks," said Abunassar, who has built an impressive clientele mostly through word of mouth. "(The NBA) is such a big difference from college basketball."

Prince of the Pistons said the camp provides the perfect situation for players trying to make the transition from college to the NBA.

"You get good individual instruction on and off the court, and you're going against guys at your position who are just as good or even more talented than you are," he said. "It gives you the opportunity to get better and, at the same time, to stay healthy."

A typical daily regimen at the camp consists of 90 minutes of performance training, or strength training and conditioning, and 90 minutes of on-court skills drills in the morning.

A specialized lunch precedes afternoon 5-on-5 scrimmages that are arguably the best pickup basketball games in the world.

"We compete at a very high level, whether it's one-on-one drills, individual work or 5-on-5," Billups said. "We're here mostly all day, and when we go home we're pretty tired and burnt out."

Abunassar has created basketball-specific drills to mirror each player's movements in an actual game.

In a dribbling drill, for example, Billups is connected to a Bungee cord with resistance behind him, forcing him to stay low and in control as he brings the ball up the court.

In another exercise designed for big men, Garnett wears a belt tied to a Bungee cord and tries to maintain his post position and keep the ball under control. All the while, one coach pulls the cord in different directions to try to knock him off balance and another tries to steal the ball.

Players also can experience high altitude training in a glass-enclosed chamber simulating conditions at 9,000 feet.


http://www.lvrj.com/sports/10597212.html

Oct. 17, 2007
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Getting the Heat Back to the Top

The Miami Heat, winners of the 2005-06 NBA Championship, struggled throughout last year, ending with a first round loss to the Chicago Bulls in the first round. The Heat only managed to win 44 games during the regular season, and were plagued by injuries from Shaquille O'Neal, Dwyane Wade, and Jason Williams throughout.

So how can the Heat return to the top of the Eastern Conference? Miami is currently taking the first step, by trying to sign Milwaukee Bucks point guard, Mo Williams. Miami can only offer Williams the mid-level exception, which would mean the most he could earn in a five-year deal with the Heat is about $35,000,000. The Bucks, however, could offer substantially more, and are already believed to have made an offer in the $40,000,000 range. However, its believed by many that Williams would take less money to join the Heat in order to have a better shot to win the championship.

The current Bucks point guard, Williams, is 6'1" and only 24 years old. Williams and Wade would make a great backcourt for years to come. In fact, in the 2006-07 season, Williams was one of only seven players who averaged greater than or equal to 17 points per game, 4 rebounds per game, and 6 assists per game. LeBron James, Gilbert Arenas, Tracy McGrady, Chris Paul, Baron Davis, and Dwyane Wade were the others to reach this benchmark.

Williams is a playmaker at the point guard position, who is known as a strong competitor. He has good strength for his size, but must improve defensively. His passing and ball handling could still stand to get better. He has been able to avoid injury for the most part in his career and excels when creating off-the-dribble. Shooting off-the-catch is another spot that Williams could still improve at, but he has had a great work ethic throughout his career. With Wade and Williams in the backcourt together, the Heat would be able to pencil in at least 40 points and 10 assists a night at the guard positions.

Once they acquire Mo Williams, the Heat should turn around and trade Jason Williams. The current Heat guard is in the last year of his contract, which pays him $8,937,500. Charlotte (Walter Herrmann, Jared Dudley), Atlanta (Josh Childress, Shelden Williams), Sacramento (Corliss Williamson, Quincy Douby), Clippers (Tim Thomas), Nuggets (Kenyon Martin, Eduardo Najera), or Cavaliers (Drew Gooden) may all be interested in Miami’s current point guard.

The next move for Heat general manager, Pat Riley, should be to sign free agent guard Steve Francis. Francis is a combo-guard who would be perfect off-the-bench for the Heat. Francis would be able to spell either Mo Williams or Wade and fill in well at either spot. After receiving a $30,000,000 buyout from Portland, Francis would most likely be willing to take a large paycut to have a chance to win his first championship.

With a nucleaus of O'Neal, Wade, Antoine Walker, Udonis Haslem, Alonzo Morning and then adding in Mo Williams, Steve Francis, and the player Riley gets back in return for Jason Williams, the Heat would have a much more successful season next year. Miami also has three young players to develop in power forward, Wayne Simien, shooting guard, Daequan Cook, and small forward, Dorrell Wright. With these series of moves (signing Mo Williams, trading Jason Williams, and signing Steve Francis) the Heat will be a younger squad and should be less injury-prone and ready to make a run next season.