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The Rules of Pacers Digest

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Whether your are a long standing forum member or whether you have just registered today, it's a good idea to read and review the rules below so that you have a very good idea of what to expect when you come to Pacers Digest.

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Rule #1

Pacers Digest is intended to be a place to discuss basketball without having to deal with the kinds of behaviors or attitudes that distract people from sticking with the discussion of the topics at hand. These unwanted distractions can come in many forms, and admittedly it can sometimes be tricky to pin down each and every kind that can rear its ugly head, but we feel that the following examples and explanations cover at least a good portion of that ground and should at least give people a pretty good idea of the kinds of things we actively discourage:

"Anyone who __________ is a liar / a fool / an idiot / a blind homer / has their head buried in the sand / a blind hater / doesn't know basketball / doesn't watch the games"

"People with intelligence will agree with me when I say that __________"

"Only stupid people think / believe / do ___________"

"I can't wait to hear something from PosterX when he/she sees that **insert a given incident or current event that will have probably upset or disappointed PosterX here**"

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"This thread is stupid / worthless / embarrassing"

"I'm going to take a moment to point and / laugh at PosterX / GroupOfPeopleY who thought / believed *insert though/belief here*"

"Remember when PosterX said OldCommentY that no longer looks good? "

In general, if a comment goes from purely on topic to something 'ad hominem' (personal jabs, personal shots, attacks, flames, however you want to call it, towards a person, or a group of people, or a given city/state/country of people), those are most likely going to be found intolerable.

We also dissuade passive aggressive behavior. This can be various things, but common examples include statements that are basically meant to imply someone is either stupid or otherwise incapable of holding a rational conversation. This can include (but is not limited to) laughing at someone's conclusions rather than offering an honest rebuttal, asking people what game they were watching, or another common problem is Poster X will say "that player isn't that bad" and then Poster Y will say something akin to "LOL you think that player is good". We're not going to tolerate those kinds of comments out of respect for the community at large and for the sake of trying to just have an honest conversation.

Now, does the above cover absolutely every single kind of distraction that is unwanted? Probably not, but you should by now have a good idea of the general types of things we will be discouraging. The above examples are meant to give you a good feel for / idea of what we're looking for. If something new or different than the above happens to come along and results in the same problem (that being, any other attitude or behavior that ultimately distracts from actually just discussing the topic at hand, or that is otherwise disrespectful to other posters), we can and we will take action to curb this as well, so please don't take this to mean that if you managed to technically avoid saying something exactly like one of the above examples that you are then somehow off the hook.

That all having been said, our goal is to do so in a generally kind and respectful way, and that doesn't mean the moment we see something we don't like that somebody is going to be suspended or banned, either. It just means that at the very least we will probably say something about it, quite possibly snipping out the distracting parts of the post in question while leaving alone the parts that are actually just discussing the topics, and in the event of a repeating or excessive problem, then we will start issuing infractions to try to further discourage further repeat problems, and if it just never seems to improve, then finally suspensions or bans will come into play. We would prefer it never went that far, and most of the time for most of our posters, it won't ever have to.

A slip up every once and a while is pretty normal, but, again, when it becomes repetitive or excessive, something will be done. Something occasional is probably going to be let go (within reason), but when it starts to become habitual or otherwise a pattern, odds are very good that we will step in.

There's always a small minority that like to push people's buttons and/or test their own boundaries with regards to the administrators, and in the case of someone acting like that, please be aware that this is not a court of law, but a private website run by people who are simply trying to do the right thing as they see it. If we feel that you are a special case that needs to be dealt with in an exceptional way because your behavior isn't explicitly mirroring one of our above examples of what we generally discourage, we can and we will take atypical action to prevent this from continuing if you are not cooperative with us.

Also please be aware that you will not be given a pass simply by claiming that you were 'only joking,' because quite honestly, when someone really is just joking, for one thing most people tend to pick up on the joke, including the person or group that is the target of the joke, and for another thing, in the event where an honest joke gets taken seriously and it upsets or angers someone, the person who is truly 'only joking' will quite commonly go out of his / her way to apologize and will try to mend fences. People who are dishonest about their statements being 'jokes' do not do so, and in turn that becomes a clear sign of what is really going on. It's nothing new.

In any case, quite frankly, the overall quality and health of the entire forum's community is more important than any one troublesome user will ever be, regardless of exactly how a problem is exhibiting itself, and if it comes down to us having to make a choice between you versus the greater health and happiness of the entire community, the community of this forum will win every time.

Lastly, there are also some posters, who are generally great contributors and do not otherwise cause any problems, who sometimes feel it's their place to provoke or to otherwise 'mess with' that small minority of people described in the last paragraph, and while we possibly might understand why you might feel you WANT to do something like that, the truth is we can't actually tolerate that kind of behavior from you any more than we can tolerate the behavior from them. So if we feel that you are trying to provoke those other posters into doing or saying something that will get themselves into trouble, then we will start to view you as a problem as well, because of the same reason as before: The overall health of the forum comes first, and trying to stir the pot with someone like that doesn't help, it just makes it worse. Some will simply disagree with this philosophy, but if so, then so be it because ultimately we have to do what we think is best so long as it's up to us.

If you see a problem that we haven't addressed, the best and most appropriate course for a forum member to take here is to look over to the left of the post in question. See underneath that poster's name, avatar, and other info, down where there's a little triangle with an exclamation point (!) in it? Click that. That allows you to report the post to the admins so we can definitely notice it and give it a look to see what we feel we should do about it. Beyond that, obviously it's human nature sometimes to want to speak up to the poster in question who has bothered you, but we would ask that you try to refrain from doing so because quite often what happens is two or more posters all start going back and forth about the original offending post, and suddenly the entire thread is off topic or otherwise derailed. So while the urge to police it yourself is understandable, it's best to just report it to us and let us handle it. Thank you!

All of the above is going to be subject to a case by case basis, but generally and broadly speaking, this should give everyone a pretty good idea of how things will typically / most often be handled.

Rule #2

If the actions of an administrator inspire you to make a comment, criticism, or express a concern about it, there is a wrong place and a couple of right places to do so.

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A) Start a thread about the specific incident you want to talk about on the Feedback board. This way you are able to express yourself in an area that doesn't throw another thread off topic, and this way others can add their two cents as well if they wish, and additionally if there's something that needs to be said by the administrators, that is where they will respond to it.

B) Send a private message to the administrators, and they can respond to you that way.

If this is done the wrong way, those comments will be deleted, and if it's a repeating problem then it may also receive an infraction as well.

Rule #3

If a poster is bothering you, and an administrator has not or will not deal with that poster to the extent that you would prefer, you have a powerful tool at your disposal, one that has recently been upgraded and is now better than ever: The ability to ignore a user.

When you ignore a user, you will unfortunately still see some hints of their existence (nothing we can do about that), however, it does the following key things:

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Regarding infractions, currently they carry a value of one point each, and that point will expire in 31 days. If at any point a poster is carrying three points at the same time, that poster will be suspended until the oldest of the three points expires.

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Title of the Article
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Indianapolis Star

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Provocative statements in a signature, or as an avatar, or as the 'tagline' beneath a poster's username (where it says 'Member' or 'Administrator' by default, if it is not altered) are an unwanted distraction that will more than likely be removed on sight. There can be shades of gray to this, but in general this could be something political or religious that is likely going to provoke or upset people, or otherwise something that is mean-spirited at the expense of a poster, a group of people, or a population.

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We prefer self-restraint and/or modesty when making jokes or off topic comments in a sports discussion thread. They can be fun, but sometimes they derail or distract from a topic, and we don't want to see that happen. If we feel it is a problem, we will either delete or move those posts from the thread.

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Pacers may waive Croshere this summer

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  • #16
    Re: Pacers may waive Croshere this summer

    We should Waive Bender instead of Cro like RabidPacers Fan said (sorry to lazy to quote), at least Austin sucks it up and plays.

    And I think that they would waive Pollard Before Cro too.
    Life without water is tough, life without air is hard,life with one leg only is wobbly, Life without Reggie Miller, is impossible.

    Do Not Trade Austin

    Originally posted by Conrad Brunner
    Veteran Austin Croshere, the longest-tenured Pacers player on the roster, has proven reliable when called upon, invariably ready to step in regardless of the circumstance.

    Comment


    • #17
      Re: Pacers may waive Croshere this summer

      I am not for this to much.

      I would rather suck up the contracts until the trade deadline before they expier and hopefully make a trade. But that's just me.

      Comment


      • #18
        Re: Pacers may waive Croshere this summer

        We would waive Pollard's ending contract before we would wave Cro?
        "They could turn out to be only innocent mathematicians, I suppose," muttered Woevre's section officer, de Decker.

        "'Only.'" Woevre was amused. "Someday you'll explain to me how that's possible. Seeing that, on the face of it, all mathematics leads, doesn't it, sooner or later, to some kind of human suffering."

        Comment


        • #19
          Re: Pacers may waive Croshere this summer

          Originally posted by rabidpacersfan
          Wouldn't we waive Bender instead of Cro. At least Cro is playing.
          Well, Ford's article says you can cut players who are deemed "permanently injured" after one season with no luxury tax implications as well.

          I'd think the Pacers could convince the NBA of that.

          Comment


          • #20
            Re: Pacers may waive Croshere this summer

            Let me think...
            A team that is loyal to a fault has the ability to waive an overpriced player...
            Do I waive the player that is not stunningly athletic but knows the game of basketball and (more importantly) gave me everything he had this season regardless of injury-
            ....Or do I waive the player who, when not injured (which is actually perpetually injured), is athletic but knows little about the game of basketball... is made of glass... has been a bust the whole time he has been here... Is too slow and awkward for a SG ...or SF and too skinny and fragile for PF where we already have a player or two anyway... ???

            Hmmmmmm Who to waive....

            -Bball
            Nuntius was right for a while. I was wrong for a while. But ultimately I was right and Frank Vogel has been let go.

            ------

            "A player who makes a team great is more valuable than a great player. Losing yourself in the group, for the good of the group, that’s teamwork."

            -John Wooden

            Comment


            • #21
              Re: Pacers may waive Croshere this summer

              Jalen Rose + Larry Brown does not mix. Exactly wrong. I would more expect Jalen to sign with us than the Pistons, unless Brown leaves. Jalen had by far his most important years as a pro when Carlisle was the offensive coordinator for the Pacers. Jalen is the prototypical point forward, perfect for a team that thrives on outscoring their opponent. I loved Jalen when he was with us. It was the perfect situation for him. He was not at the point or could have ever been considered any more than our third option at point behind Mark Jackson and T.Best. He was a perfect secondary 'creator' on offense and played off Smits and Reggie and Dale extremely well and was tremendous in both a half court or transitional game when he wasn't expected to be the primary ball handler. God I miss that team. Although, Jalen and Rik sort of eptomized what was both wonderful and deficient about it.

              Comment


              • #22
                Re: Pacers may waive Croshere this summer

                Originally posted by Jermaniac
                GOOD, Cut him.
                Actually, I'd rather not cut a decent player who plays through pain. CUT, BENDER, if you're going to cut someone.

                Croshere does not warrant a cut, from the heart he played with this year. Where was Bender this year, WHEN WE NEEDED HIM THE MOST? His knee was hurting for the 43562765437637564th time.

                Hell, I remember some games where Croshere would carry the DAMN team. Playing with broken ribs through most of the season. Would Bender do that? HELL NO.
                Super Bowl XLI Champions
                2000 Eastern Conference Champions




                Comment


                • #23
                  Re: Pacers may waive Croshere this summer

                  Originally posted by shags
                  Interesting tidbit from Chad Ford's article about the new CBA:
                  Would someone post the whole article please?

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    Re: Pacers may waive Croshere this summer

                    Originally posted by McClintic Sphere
                    Jalen Rose + Larry Brown does not mix. Exactly wrong. I would more expect Jalen to sign with us than the Pistons, unless Brown leaves. Jalen had by far his most important years as a pro when Carlisle was the offensive coordinator for the Pacers. Jalen is the prototypical point forward, perfect for a team that thrives on outscoring their opponent. I loved Jalen when he was with us. It was the perfect situation for him. He was not at the point or could have ever been considered any more than our third option at point behind Mark Jackson and T.Best. He was a perfect secondary 'creator' on offense and played off Smits and Reggie and Dale extremely well and was tremendous in both a half court or transitional game when he wasn't expected to be the primary ball handler. God I miss that team. Although, Jalen and Rik sort of eptomized what was both wonderful and deficient about it.

                    I would like to see Jalen the point forward bring the ball up the court against Lindsey Hinter or soem other pesky defender.
                    ANDY: I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy winning or get busy losing.

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      Re: Pacers may waive Croshere this summer

                      What are waivers?
                      It's a temporary status for players who are released by their team. A player released between August 15th and the end of the regular season stays on waivers for 48 hours. A player released at any other time stays on waivers for 10 days. During the waiver period other teams may claim a waived player. If more than one team tries to claim the player, the team with the worst record gets him. If a player on waivers is claimed, the new team acquires his existing contract and pays the remainder of his salary. There is also a fee of $1,000, payable to the league office, for claiming a waived player.

                      A team can claim a waived player only if one of the following is true:

                      The team is far enough under the salary cap to fit the player's entire salary.


                      The team has a disabled player exception for at least the player's salary (see question number 17 ).


                      The team has a trade exception for at least the player's salary (see question number 68 ).


                      The player's contract is for one or two seasons and he is paid the minimum salary.
                      If no team claims a waived player, he is said to have "cleared waivers." The player may sign with the team of his choice at that point. The player's new team only pays the pro-rated minimum salary to the player. The player's original team continues to pay the balance of the player's salary. For this reason, few players are actually claimed while on waivers.

                      If a player is waived after March 1, he is ineligible to be included in the playoff roster of any team that signs him for the remainder of that season.
                      -----

                      Heres a question. Does that mean the Pacers could waive Croshere, then after he clears waivers resign him to the minimum salary and thus get the tax relief?

                      No one will claim him on waivers so he can then sign with the team of his choice. If he resigned with the Pacers they would still pay him all his money but his salary over the minimum wouldn't count for tax purposes.

                      This loophole will probably be closed by not letting the player sign with the team that waived him. Of course I see nothing wrong with letting the player sign with any team. After all it's just a device for teams not to pay the luxury tax, so what difference does it make.

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        Re: Pacers may waive Croshere this summer

                        Originally posted by shags
                        Interesting tidbit from Chad Ford's article about the new CBA:

                        Second, each team will be given a one-time option this summer to waive one player from its roster and receive luxury tax relief. The team will still have to pay the player and his salary will still count against the cap, but the team won't have to pay a luxury tax on his salary. For example, the Knicks' Allan Houston might a candidate to be waived because of this rule.
                        There would be no point for the Pacers to waive anyone if they don't have to pay the luxury tax. That would be the only relief they would get.

                        Comment


                        • #27
                          Re: Pacers may waive Croshere this summer

                          http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/colum...=2091803&num=0

                          Draft and free agency will be altered

                          By Chad Ford
                          ESPN Insider
                          Archive

                          The NBA and union reached an agreement on the framework for a new collective bargaining agreement on Tuesday.

                          The agreement appears to be a real compromise by both sides. In fact, NBA commissioner David Stern called the deal a "50-50 agreement" at the press conference.


                          The owners got several concessions they wanted: slightly shorter player contracts, smaller raises, shorter guaranteed rookie contracts and an age minimum.

                          The players received a guarantee that 57 percent of basketball-related income would be paid to the players. They also got an increase in the salary cap, a small reduction in the amount of escrow taxes on their salaries and a general raise in the caps on salaries.

                          Over the course of the next few weeks, the two sides will work out the final details and draft the CBA, and the finer points of the agreement will come to light.

                          Until then, here's a broad overview of what the new agreement means for free agency and the draft.



                          The draft
                          Three big changes in the CBA should have a big effect on both this year's and next year's draft -- the increase in the minimum age to 19, the reduction of guaranteed years on rookie contracts and the development of the NBDL as a legitimate minor league.

                          The age minimum

                          Currently, players are eligible to declare for the NBA draft after their high school senior class graduation, if they are from the United States. If they are international players, they must be 18 years old by the night of the draft.

                          For several years, Stern has been vocal in calling for an age minimum of 20 for players to be eligible for the draft. Union director Billy Hunter has been just as vocal opposing the limit.

                          The players and owners agreed to a compromise that sets the age minimum at 19, and one year removed from high school for American players. International and American players must turn 19 during the calendar year they are declaring for the draft. Players who spend a year in prep school would be eligible for the draft as long as they are 19.

                          The rule would go into effect for the 2006 NBA draft.

                          When the age minimum is implemented, it will dilute the draft for at least one year. If the rule had gone into effect last year, for example, eight of the first 19 players selected would have been ineligible for the draft.

                          It could have an especially powerful effect on next year's draft. Most NBA scouts believe that 17-year-old high school center Greg Oden would be the consensus No. 1 player in the 2006 draft. As we understand the rule, he would be ineligible for the 2006 NBA draft.

                          Stern wanted to keep NBA GMs and scouts out of high school gyms and it appears he will get his wish. Stern implied on Tuesday that there would be a directive from the league banning NBA GMs and scouts from scouting high school games.

                          However, it's unclear how the age minimum will actually improve the image of the league. In fact, the new rules could backfire in that regard and actually do some damage in the relationship between the NBA, colleges and hoops fans.

                          As the rules stand now, many players bypass college altogether. Under the new rules, more players will go to college, but more players than ever before will have their eye on the NBA the minute they step on campus. Just as fans are falling in love with a Carmelo Anthony, he'll be gone.

                          Will colleges really want to recruit guys like Oden, who they know will want to play for only one year as pit stop on his way to the NBA? Couple that issue with the lowering of the age minimum to 18 for the NBDL, and the NBA may have created more harm than help for the NCAA.

                          Also, you can expect to see more players skip college and go directly to the NBDL, where they'll get a one-year paid audition for NBA scouts before they are draft eligible.

                          The age minimum could be challenged in court. However, the league is confident the rule will hold up because it was collectively bargained. The NFL successfully defended a recent suit by former Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett. In May, a three-judge appeals panel said federal labor policy allows NFL teams to set rules governing when players can enter the league, stopping Clarett from entering last year's NFL draft.

                          Minor league

                          Perhaps the most significant development in the new CBA will be the creation of a true NBA minor league via the NBDL. Both sides were interested in making this happen and it was never a serious impediment to the bargaining process.

                          The league wanted the minor league because it wanted to give teams an outlet to develop younger players. It should be especially beneficial to veteran teams with young players, like Darko Milicic, who can't crack the rotation.

                          The players wanted it because it would create more jobs. If a team sends a young player down to the NBDL, he wouldn't count on their active roster. That job would, in turn, go to a veteran.

                          The NBDL recently expanded to eight teams. Stern said his goal will be to add another seven teams by the start of the 2006-07 season. However, deputy commisoner Russ Granik told Insider that teams will be allowed to begin sending players to the D league this season.

                          Here are the key terms of the agreement on the NBDL:

                          • Each NBA team will be allowed to send players to a designated NBDL team, along with an assistant coach to monitor the players' development.
                          • The league will eventually expand to 15 teams, and two NBA teams will share each NBDL team.
                          • Players can be sent down to the NBDL for only the first two years of their career. Veterans cannot be assigned to an NBDL team.
                          • First-round picks will continue to be paid at the rookie wage scale. This was a key concession to the players, who didn't want owners to use the league as a way of cutting player salaries.
                          • Teams will retain the rights to all of their players and can recall them at any time.
                          • The NBDL will lower its age limit from 20 years to 18 years. That means that high school players who are ineligible for the draft will be able to play in the NBDL for a year before entering the draft. That dramatic change gives high school players another avenue into professional basketball (and an income source) should they choose to skip college.

                          A minor league will alter the draft strategy of teams, encouraging them to draft younger players in the late first round or second round because of the ability to develop players down the road. This could have a big impact in this year's draft. Big-upside players like Martynas Andriuskevicius, Andrew Bynum, Yaroslav Korolev and Ersan Ilyasova suddenly look much more interesting to teams than they did 24 hours ago.

                          Now that teams have the option of drafting players and developing them in the minor leagues, look for more teams to reach, starting in this year's draft.

                          Rookie salary scale

                          Currently, first-round picks are tied into a league salary scale. When a first-round pick signs a contract, the first three years are guaranteed, with a team option for the fourth year. Players are paid a set amount based on where they were selected in the draft.

                          The new deal modifies that deal in favor of the owners. Under the new rules, first-round picks will get the first two years of their contract guaranteed. The third and fourth years of the contract will be team options.

                          The intended result by owners is to scare younger players away from the draft. The guaranteed payout will be smaller and the time they have to prove themselves in the league will be shorter.

                          It's unclear whether this rule will pertain to this year's rookies, but it's already having an effect. Several agents told Insider that they pulled their international guys because they weren't sure they could prove enough in two years to persuade teams to pick up their option for the third year.


                          Free agency
                          Stern said on Tuesday that rookie signings and summer leagues can begin on July 1. However, the free agency period will be moved back slightly from July 15 to July 22 to allow time for the agreement to be fully drafted. Teams can negotiate with free agents from July 1 through July 21, but won't be allowed to sign them until July 22.

                          Most of the rest of the rules will alter how teams function in the free agent market. With changes to contract lengths, the cap and luxury taxes, look for teams to have more freedom to spend and for more player movement overall.

                          Salary cap

                          The current CBA puts a salary cap in place based on basketball-related income. The cap is set at 48 percent of BRI. Last year, that came to $43.87 million.

                          The cap will be raised to 51 percent of BRI. Depending on revenues, that could mean a cap next season of anywhere between $47 and $50 million.

                          This is a big concession to the players. With a larger cap, more teams will be able to spend on contracts each summer.

                          The Hawks, Bobcats, Cavaliers, Clippers, Bucks, Hornets and possibly the Suns will be the big winners here. It will allow each of them to get further under the cap to spend in free agency.

                          For this offseason, it shouldn't have a big effect on any of the other teams in the league.

                          Contract length

                          Currently, players can sign a fully guaranteed contract for a maximum of seven years if they re-sign with their current team. Players signing with a new team in free agency can sign six-year deals.

                          This has been a sticking point for owners, who often get stuck with the bill for players who become injured or don't pan out. Prior to this agreement, teams have had only a few unappealing options other than hang on to him when they have had a player with a bad contract -- hope he retires, try to trade him (usually taking back another bad contract in return) or try to buy out the contract.

                          The owners' original proposal asked for contracts to be shortened to three and four years. The union wanted contract length to remain at six and seven years.

                          The two sides compromised, shortening the maximum number of contract years to five and six.

                          The lesser contracts may hurt older veterans a bit, but it may work to the advantage of younger players, giving them potentially an extra opportunity to sign a long-term contract.

                          Raises

                          For months, players and management remained far apart on this issue.

                          Under the expiring CBA, players are allowed maximum raises of 12.5 percent per year if they re-sign with their current teams and 10 percent if they sign with new teams in free agency.

                          The effect of those raises can be devastating to a franchise over time. For example, the Los Angeles Lakers, who last summer signed Kobe Bryant to a seven-year contract with 12.5 percent raises, are on the hook for $14.175 million this year. In 2010-11, they owe him $24.8 million.

                          Owners contended the raises were out of whack with the current financial realities. Last year, the salary cap stayed flat. In years past, it has increased by small, incremental amounts. If salaries are rising 10 percent per year and the cap is rising three percent, teams that are avoiding the luxury tax now won't be so lucky in three or four years.

                          Some clubs have tried to counter this trend by offering players flat contracts. However, very few agents or players agree to them.

                          To curb the growth of salaries, the owners proposed rolling back the maximum raises to five percent for players who re-sign with their current teams and four percent for players who sign with a new teams in free agency.

                          The two sides compromised by lowering the percentage of raises by two percent. Under the new proposed agreement, players will be allowed maximum raises of 10 percent per year if they re-sign with their current teams and eight percent if they sign with new teams in free agency.

                          It should only have a minimal impact on short-term payrolls but over the long haul should reduce them by about two percent.

                          Restricted free agency

                          Under current rules, teams have 15 days to match any offer sheet on a player they have restricted free agency rights to. This rule often drags out the free agency process for both teams and players.

                          Granik said in the new agreement the period that teams have to match will be shortened to seven days. That should have the effect of encouraging more teams to extend offer sheets to restricted free agents.

                          The Gilbert Arenas rule

                          Maybe it should be called the Carlos Boozer rule after the way Boozer, a restricted free agent last season, tempted the Cleveland Cavaliers into let him test the waters and then bolted to the Jazz while the Cavs sat by helplessly.

                          Currently teams that draft a player in the second round but don't sign him to a three-year contract risk losing the player via free agency if they are not under the cap.

                          This happened most recently with the Golden State Warriors when Gilbert Arenas got a huge offer from the Washington Wizards after his second season with the Warriors. Because the Warriors were over the cap, they were unable to match the deal.

                          The new agreement creates an exception for second-round picks. Teams can now match offers to second-round picks as long as the team still owns its mid-level exception. To make this rule work, the new agreement says that any team signing a second rounder to an offer sheet cannot offer more than the mid-level amount in the first year of the contract. However, after the first season of the contract, the player's salary can jump to the maximum allowable for a player with three or more years in the league.

                          So, to keep Arenas as an example, the Wizards would have been forced to offer Arenas $4.9 million in his first year. As long as the Warriors hadn't already spent their mid-level exception, they could have matched the Wizards offer and kept him under contract.

                          Minimum contracts

                          The NBA minimum wage, currently starting at $385,277 and increasing each year a player is in the league, will increase by three and a half percent. This was an obvious concession by the league and placated a large constituency of players who consistently sign deals for minimum wage.

                          Roster size

                          Currently, teams can have a maximum of 15 players on their rosters, with a minimum of 11. Under the new agreement, the minimum will be raised to 14. This is another concession by the league.

                          The owners also have agreed to do away with the injured list, changing to inactive and active lists. That means teams no longer will have to concoct player injuries in order to manage their roster.

                          Luxury tax

                          The infamous luxury tax is something for which neither side cares. However, it's Stern's biggest stick for beating the owners into submission for out-of-control spending.

                          Last season, teams whose payroll exceeded $54.6 million paid a dollar-for-dollar tax on the amount they were over the threshold. For example, the Knicks' payroll last season was $94.4 million. That means they paid the league $39.8 million in tax penalties. The total taxes paid by teams last season amounted to more than $157 million.

                          The luxury tax will continue to kick in when total player salaries exceed 61.1 percent of total basketball revenues. According to the league's press release, tax treatment for injured players and minimum-salary players will be liberalized. However, there are no details on what exactly that means.

                          The new CBA also makes two new exceptions to the luxury tax and salary cap, according to Granik.

                          First, under current rules players who are determined to be "permanently injured" cannot be taken off the books for two years. In the new agreement that number will be reduced to one.

                          Second, each team will be given a one-time option this summer to waive one player from its roster and receive luxury tax relief. The team will still have to pay the player and his salary will still count against the cap, but the team won't have to pay a luxury tax on his salary. For example, the Knicks' Allan Houston might a candidate to be waived because of this rule.

                          Player escrow accounts

                          Currently, players must pay 10 percent of their salaries into an escrow account each season. If, at season's end, the total amount of player salaries exceeds 57 percent of the league's total basketball-related income, that money goes to the owners. If it doesn't exceed 57 percent, the players get their money back.

                          For the past two seasons, salaries have been hovering at more than 60 percent of BRI, and the owners who have kept their payrolls below the league's luxury-tax threshold (and a few that have fallen within a certain "cliff threshold") have gotten millions back from the players.

                          The windfall teams got last year from the escrow tax and fees paid by owners who were over the luxury-tax threshold put roughly $8 million back in the pockets of those owners who were under the tax or in the cliff threshold.

                          For several teams, that rebate meant the difference between turning a profit and posting a loss for the season.

                          Owners compromised by agreeing to phase down the escrow taxes. Next season 10 percent will be take from paychecks if the threshold occurs. In seasons two through five of the deal, it will drop to nine percent. In the sixth year of the deal, it will drop again, to eight percent.

                          There is another significant development in this area. Under current rules, the NBA has sole discretion over the use of the escrow money. Currently, it redistributes the cash (and luxury tax revenues) to teams that are under the luxury tax threshold. In essence, Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling gets a bonus for being cheap.

                          In the new agreement, the escrow money will be distributed equally among all 30 teams, lessening the impact of the luxury tax.

                          Trade rules

                          For years, both GMs and players have been complaining about restrictive trade rules that mandate all trades be within 115 percent and $100,000 of each other. Those rules make many prospective trades impossible.

                          The trade rules will be significantly loosened under the new CBA. The gap allowed between salaries traded and received will be increased to 125 percent and $100,000.


                          Chad Ford covers the NBA for ESPN Insider.

                          Comment


                          • #28
                            Re: Pacers may waive Croshere this summer

                            I really, REALLY like all these changes.

                            It wasn't about being the team everyone loved, it was about beating the teams everyone else loved.

                            Division Champions 1955, 1956, 1988, 1989, 1990, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
                            Conference Champions 1955, 1956, 1988, 2005
                            NBA Champions 1989, 1990, 2004

                            Comment


                            • #29
                              Re: Pacers may waive Croshere this summer

                              Roster size

                              Currently, teams can have a maximum of 15 players on their rosters, with a minimum of 11. Under the new agreement, the minimum will be raised to 14. This is another concession by the league.

                              The owners also have agreed to do away with the injured list, changing to inactive and active lists. That means teams no longer will have to concoct player injuries in order to manage their roster.
                              Oh sweet Jesus, yes. Finally, an idea we started kicking around four years ago can come to fruition.

                              And better yet, no more mysterious groin injuries.

                              Comment


                              • #30
                                Re: Pacers may waive Croshere this summer

                                Originally posted by Kraft
                                And better yet, no more mysterious groin injuries.
                                Tell that to Bender.

                                It wasn't about being the team everyone loved, it was about beating the teams everyone else loved.

                                Division Champions 1955, 1956, 1988, 1989, 1990, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
                                Conference Champions 1955, 1956, 1988, 2005
                                NBA Champions 1989, 1990, 2004

                                Comment

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