Herald on Best

[Peter Delevett <pdelevett@xxxxxxxxx>]

Clearly I care way too much about this ... but
Wednesday's Herald story sounds a bit more
encouraging.


 ``I think we're very close to an arrangement,'' the
Springfield native's agent, Forest King, said after
touring the team's Waltham practice facility, which in
turn followed a breakfast with general manager Chris
Wallace and director of basketball development Leo
Papile at the Four Seasons Hotel.

``We think within the week we'll have something
done,'' he said. ``It all goes back to a lifelong
dream of Travis to play (in Boston).''

That said, it will come with a price. Best told the
Indianapolis Star last night that he will ``absolutely
not'' sign for minimum money, which in this case would
be $890,000 for a nine-year veteran.  

<snip>

 Anything over the minimum would push the team into
luxury tax range. Best would like to earn the $1.4
million figure he was paid by Miami last season.

<snip>

 Best has also drawn interest from Utah, Indiana and
Chicago, though he reportedly has no desire to play
for Pacers coach Isiah Thomas again, who ultimately
replaced Best with Jamaal Tinsley.

``He has to do his due diligence, but he likes it
here,'' said the source.

But according to King, the process of contacting other
teams may be strictly a formality at this point.

------------

Hmm, is Best worth paying the tax for? And if so, how
much? Let's say they split the difference and paid him
$1.1 million. Would the Cs only be paying $210K worth
of tax? Plus missing out on $210K worth of
reimbursement from the league for going over the cap?
Or would it be a heavier tax hit?

Or, could they give Best what he wants and get under
the tax threshold by letting Bremer or Hunter walk or
trading Bruno to the Cedar Rapids River Raiders?


__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software
http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com