Re: Salary cap FAQ and implications

[Alex Wang <awang@mit.edu>]

> I thought Pierce's contract was 4 years with a team option for a fifth.  I
> believe that's how the new rookie contracts are structured. This would be
> even better news than the 4 year deal.

Well, that's incorrect =) I think that media people were talking about how
a team could keep its players at least five years, but that was due to
the right of first refusal. Actually from my understanding of restricted
free agency (which is possibly wrong), that's incorrect too. You actually
have the player a minimum of seven years because the player must be
offered at least a three year contract as a restricted free agent after
four years.

Anyways, the FAQ is evidently based on reading the actual CBA so I think
it's pretty accurate, and the 4 year deal agrees with what I remember 
about the new CBA from media reports.

Alex