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Peter Vecsey: Celtics Will Go After Michael Stewart And Other Enteraining Items
> Some interesting stuff by Vecsey today, including the fact,
> the Spurs have dropped out of the Sprewell hunt, but Miami's
> hanging right in, with a package of Brent Barry, Jamal Mashburn,
> and Voshun Lenard. If the Warriors do the deal with Miami,
> it won't be long before Mashburn ends up in Boston....
[New York Post]
SPORTS
COACHES BETTER SAY NO
By PETER VECSEY
------------------------------------------------------------------------
ACCORDING to the new collective bargaining agreement, the players aren't the only ones
who must submit to random drug testing - which now includes marijuana and steroids, as
well as cocaine and heroin - by the NBA.
During the preseason, anybody and everybody sitting on the bench - coaches and trainers -
must, upon request, give a urine sample once. When the season begins, rookies and only
rookies are subject to random testing on two other occasions.
'That's the best we could do," a league official said. "The union wouldn't consent to go
any further. It's not great, but it's better than before. Naturally, if we feel there's
reasonable cause we have a process in place that allows us to test a particular person."
*
CONTRARY to an initial report, Ray Allen's name has not surfaced in trade discussions
with the Hornets. However, the Bucks, indeed, are pursuing Anthony Mason as part of a
deal that would include Tyrone Hill.
Milwaukee is desperate for an inside force who demands a double team and makes it pay
with precision passing. Mason loves to pass and play defense, two things you must be
willing and able to do to play important minutes for George Karl.
Mason's downside, it has been alleged, is his intolerance for everyone's imperfections
except his own. That explains why most Hornets' people, exempting GM Bob Bass, would
celebrate his departure. For some strange reason, coach Dave Cowens and the rest of the
team is a tad tired of being confronted and cursed each time Mason deems them unworthy.
Geez, that's not the Anthony Mason we know so well from his many appearances at central
booking. *
KARL Malone is now telling Jazz owner Larry Miller he's not coming back unless he gets
Olympic Committee money, reports column castigator Frank Drucker.
Supposedly the Spurs have dropped out of the Latrell Sprewell chase. Unless, of course,
GM/coach Gregg Popovich locates a third team who can sufficiently compensate the Warriors
and whom the Spurs, in turn, can satisfy.
That leaves the Knicks (Chris Mills and Chris Childs), Heat (Jamal Mashburn, Vashon
Lenard and a re-signed Brent Barry) and the Pacers (either Dale or Antonio Davis in
addition to two others in order to match Sprewell's $8.3 million salary).
It's interesting to note how closely Patrick Ewing's negotiating technique parallels his
leadership on the court. When it came to crunch time in the boardroom and the game room
he disappeared. *
SOURCES say Jerry Reinsdorf called Kevin Loughery over the weekend and extended one final
invitation to return to the Bulls as coach before turning the job over to Tim Floyd.
In the history of the league there probably haven't been more than five situations, if
that, where a team signed a player, then immediately traded him for the express purpose
of circumventing salary cap rules.
Last season's Chris Dudley deal is the obvious example. The Blazers signed their own free
agent to a one-year pact, then sent him to the Knicks (earning a No. 1 pick as
co-conspirator), who may re-sign the backup center for whatever they feel is appropriate.
Or whatever was verbally agreed upon at the time by management and Dudley's agent.
Whichever is greater.
To prohibit such skullduggery, the league now requires a team to sign a player for no
less than three years if his Bird rights are to be retained in any future trade.
There's one catch: Teams may re-sign their own free agents and re-route them without any
time restriction. However, if a team signs somebody else's free agent it must wait a
minimum of six months before he's eligible to be traded.
Apparently John Thompson was next on Larry Flynt's Washington hit list.
The Nets all but had Chris Gatling traded to the Grizzlies before the league shocked
everyone by establishing a $30M cap figure for the abbreviated season, about $3-to-4M
lower than predicted. The result of that and other unexpected cap charges translates into
less money to offer outside free agents.
"A lot of teams have changed strategy overnight," said Magic GM John Gabriel. "I think
you'll see a lot of us bringing back last season's players, maybe adding one or two
lower-priced free agents to the mix."
It's not as if management of capped teams doesn't have options at its disposal to
improve. It's not as if there isn't money available to spend on a middle class ($1.75M)
exception, a minimum exception ($1M) and a veteran ($1M) minimum. And it's not as if the
GMs are hesitant (excuse me for laughing in David Falk's face for wondering whether teams
will use the exceptions) to spend whatever's available.
In fact, if the GMs, agents and players get their way, and a middle-class exception
signing is allowed to be extended over six years (the league is arguing for three; the
issue remains unresolved as negotiations continue), a capped team could still spend
$16-to-17M per season.
Two summers ago, Kevin Johnson had all but officially retired, but the Suns gave him
seven million reasons to return last season. Now K.J. is in search of another couple of
million reasons to make another comeback, perhaps with the Lakers ... Look for the
Celtics to reach out for Kings free agent Michael Stewart should Sacramento make a big
play, as is expected, for Vlade Divac.
Maverick boss Don Nelson likes Sonic free agent Sam Perkins almost as much as the Pacers
do. And why not? Sudden Sam probably hit as many big shots (maybe not game winners, but
3-pointers to catch up or keep his team ahead by a little) as Sonic teammate Gary Payton
over the last few years ... The name of Suns free agent John Williams is on the lips of
every GM who cares about one-on-one post defense and a rational voice to mentor
youngsters on the court and in the locker room.
<snip>