[外電] Deals free up $19 million for team to spend

看板Pelicans (新奧爾良鵜鶘)作者ilovet (黃蜂加油)時間20年前 (2005/02/26 23:54)推噓0(0推 0噓 0→)

留言0則, 0人參與討論串1/1

原文出自nola.com http://www.nola.com/hornets/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/1109314923261010.xml Deals free up $19 million for team to spend Friday, February 25, 2005 By Jimmy Smith Staff writer Two months ago, as the New Orleans Hornets began to unload the team's older players, general manager Allan Bristow refused to concede that he was rebuilding the struggling club. Bristow said he wasn't performing open heart surgery, just a few bypass procedures. On Thursday, in the hours leading up to the National Basketball Association's trading deadline, Bristow figuratively sat behind the controls of a wrecking ball and toppled what had been the franchise's two cornerstones, trading disgruntled star guard Baron Davis and injured forward Jamal Mashburn in separate deals designed to free up about $19 million for salaries. The trades mean that New Orleans, which has the second-worst record in the league and will have one of the top picks in the draft, will have plenty of room under the NBA salary cap to pursue players this summer, although it is not expected to be a particularly strong year for free agents. The Hornets sent Davis to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for center Dale Davis, point guard Speedy Claxton and $500,000 in cash. Mashburn was dealt, along with forward Rodney Rogers, to the Philadelphia 76ers for injured forward Glenn Robinson. Robinson, who has not played this season because of an ankle injury, was immediately placed on the team's injured list. He is not expected to play for New Orleans and will become a free agent at season's end. Claxton, a fourth-year pro who played on the 2002-03 San Antonio Spurs team that won the NBA championship, is expected to contribute immediately while Dale Davis, 34, a 14-year veteran, will be part of the active roster for now but could eventually be released, Bristow said. Mashburn stands to collect $10.1 million next year, the final year of his contract, although if he does not return from injury an insurance policy will cover most of the 76ers' cost. Davis still has four years left on a seven-year, $84 million deal, which next season pays him $12.5 million. Claxton has one year left on his contract and will make $3.6 million next season. "We may have taken, talentwise, a little step backward," Bristow said, referring to the departure of Davis, an All-Star last season. "But it lays the groundwork and the opportunity to go forward with our salary cap." In ridding themselves of Mashburn and Davis, the Hornets, even after adjusting for Claxton's salary next year, have freed about $19 million in salary cap room for possible free-agent signings. "It's a whole new story on July 1, whether the free agents are going to be there," Bristow said. "But it gives us the opportunity to explore." Part of that total, however, also must cover the contract for the team's first-round draft choice. The cost of rookie contracts is set by the league and varies depending upon the slot in which the player is taken. Bristow said Claxton was the most important part of the puzzle that was completed in the moments before Thursday's 2 p.m. trading deadline. "The Jamal Mashburn part of the trade was basically salary-cap currency," he said. The Sixers "don't expect Jamal to play and he'll be part of their salary-cap currency, the way he was here." Bristow warned that the additional money does not guarantee the Hornets will be successful in this summer's free-agency period. And, Bristow said, it is also too early to identify what free agents might be needed. "I don't want to bust anybody's bubble," Bristow said. "If this was a power-packed free-agent year, I'd be the first one to say that it is. But it's not. To sit here and say free agency is why we did this trade, that's not the answer. We should get a very good pick in the draft and having salary-cap room gives you a chance to explore. "Doing these two deals (to clear cap money), all of a sudden I just know the phones will be ringing from agents because of the money we have. That doesn't mean we'll take any of them. But they certainly know what teams can take them." The trades ensure a new look for the future. Mashburn and Davis were two All-Star caliber players when the team moved here from Charlotte, N.C., for the 2002-03 season. Just two months after receiving league approval for the move, the Hornets rewarded Davis' potential with a maximum-money, seven-year $84 million contract. Mashburn already was contractually bound to the team through 2005-06 at a total of more than $30 million. Now both are gone, and the Hornets have made five trades since Dec. 3, acquiring a new core group of players including Dan Dickau, Bostjan Nachbar, Casey Jacobsen, Maciej Lampe and Jackson Vroman, in addition to Dale Davis and Claxton. Baron Davis, who played in just 18 of the Hornets' 54 games this season because of back and Achilles tendon injuries, said Thursday it was time for him to move on. A return to his native California will be invigorating, he said. "I think this is the best situation for both the Hornets and myself," Davis said. "I don't want the fans to think I didn't want to be here. I love the people and the city. I felt that it was time for a change. "I couldn't give the fans what I wanted to give them being hurt; playing with a polluted mind, thinking about everything else. It hurt. It hurt me more than it hurt anybody." Davis said he became aware of his impending trade through media reports after Wednesday night's loss to Seattle, as well as during a morning chat with Hornets coach Byron Scott. He said that during the talk, he decided to play despite previously saying his latest injury would keep him out for another two weeks. "I sensed it last night. I'm not going to lie," Davis said. "I felt something was going to happen. Having the conversation with coach, I kind of cleared the air. "I felt if I am going to be traded, I may as well play one more game in New Orleans Arena, one more for the fans. I wish I could have played more minutes, wish we could have won and it had been a better experience. But at the same time, I just wanted to do it for the fans." Davis said he'll continue to own a home in New Orleans and remain involved in the community. Scott said he isn't sure who will replace Rogers in the starting lineup. "The only thing about the deal is that I'm going to miss Rodney very much," Scott said. "He's somebody I've had the past three years and have a lot of respect as a person and basketball player. Obviously this is a deal that helps us as far as the cap situation. It's a move we felt we had to do." Scott, unavailable for comment after the Davis trade, said earlier that Davis' mental well-being was most important. "The main thing I want for him is to be happy. If here, fine, if not, I want him to be happy. This career is too short to be unhappy." Mashburn, who played just 18 games last season after injuring his knee in the final training camp scrimmage, said it's unlikely he would be able to play for the Sixers. "I've got kind of mixed feelings," Mashburn said from his home in Miami, where he has been since the Hornets placed him on the injured list Nov. 1. "My knee is not going to get any better because of the trade. I really haven't thought about it. I'm going to continue to do what I've been doing." . . . . . . . Jimmy Smith can be reached at jsmith@timespicayune.com or (504) 826-3814. -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 140.117.190.7