Cleveland Sports Forum

NCBrownsfan wrote:Hell I'd rather be tortured at a freaking Justin Bieber concert than to watch those selfish cry babies.

http://www.tshirthell.com/funny-shirts/checklist/

TFIR wrote:Anderson Varejao - F/C - Cavaliers

Anderson Varejao (ankle surgery) is expected to play in a charity basketball game in San Francisco next Sunday.

Varejao has rehabbed his injury in Florida and Brazil, and his agent recently said that Varejao is "pain free." We'll see how he looks in a week.

I wish they would have publicized that better. That's Drew Gooden's Make A Wish Charity he played in at The Cow Palace on November 20.

I saw some YouTube video and it didn't look like many fans attended.

Take a look at what ticket prices were. Outrageous.

NBA lockout: owners and players reach ‘tentative deal,’ season could start around Christmas

'We're optimistic that the NBA season will come to pass on Dec. 25, Christmas Day, with a triple-header,' says NBA commissioner
BY MITCH LAWRENCE
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Saturday, November 26 2011, 8:33 AM



With perhaps the entire NBA season on the line, owners and players reached a "tentative'' agreement early Saturday to end the 149-day old lockout and start the season Dec. 25.

"We have reached a tentative understanding," NBA commissioner David Stern confirmed during a press conference at 3:30 a.m. that followed a 15-hour negotiating session in Manhattan. "We're optimistic that the NBA season will come to pass on Dec. 25, Christmas Day, with a triple-header."

Stern expects owners to approve the deal via a simple majority and ex-union chief Billy Hunter also is optimistic that he'll get a simple majority of the league's 430 players to ratify the new collective bargaining agreement once the NBA Players Association reforms.

According to Stern, the Christmas kick-off to the season _ a key date because it starts the national TV schedule _ will feature the originally scheduled triple-header that includes the Knicks-Boston game at the Garden to kick off the season at noon.

Stern, in particular, felt it was huge to save the Christmas Day games for the league, which could have pulled the plug on its entire season had a deal not been reached this weekend.Although that was also seen as posturing _ the last lockout in 1999 lasted 206 days and was settled in January and resulted in a 50-game season _ the two sides met for three days starting last Tuesday in an all-out effort to make sure they came to an agreement. Stern had repeatedly said during the often-contentious talks that the leaue required 30 days to get up and running after reaching a deal. The 30-day mark for Christmas Day games to be played was Firday.

All I feel right now is 'finally,'" Dwyane Wade told The Associated Press.

Just 12 days after talks broke down and Stern declared the NBA could be headed to a "nuclear winter," he sat next to former union executive director Hunter to announce the deal.

"We thought it was in both of our interest to try to reach a resolution and save the game and to be able to provide the mind of superb entertainment the NBA historically has provided," said Hunter, who could again lead the union at least temporarily once it reforms.


Stern said that the league has scheduled a conference call with the owners' labor relations committee to present the proposed agreement on Saturday. Approval is expected. After dissolving Nov. 14, the NBPA must re-form its union to ratify the agreement as well. This step is considered a formality as well.

"We want to play basketball," said San Antonio Spurs owner Peter Holt, head of the owners group, who participated in the talks. "Let's go play basketball

The language of the deal will be worked on for the next 10 days and go to a vote of the players in early December, with Stern saying free agency and training camps will open Dec. 9. Around 140 players are free agents.

On Dec. 25, the Miami Heat will play the Dallas Mavericks, and the Chicago Bulls will visit the Los Angeles Lakers. From there, a 66-game season will take place. The end of the regular season and playoffs will be pushed back upwards of two weeks to accommodate for more games.

The players had filed anti-trust lawsuits against the league on Nov. 14 to force the owners back to the bargaining table. Stern denied the litigation was a factor in accelerating a deal, but things happened relatively quickly after the players filed a suit that could have won them some $6 billion in damages if the court ruled the lockout was illegal.

"For us the litigation is something that just has to be dealt with," Stern said. "It was not the reason for the settlement. The reason for the settlement was we've got fans, we've got players who would like to play and we've got others who are dependent on us. And it's always been our goal to reach a deal that was fair to both sides and get us playing as soon as possible, but that took a little time.''

Details of the agreement are expected to come out this weekend, but the players already had basically agreed to a 50-50 split. That means they will take a $300 million annual paycut. But owners were expected to soften their stance on some system issues governing how the $4 billion in revenue would be divided. That has long held up the negotiating process because owners wanted to overhaul the entire economic system, claiming teams had been losing $300 million annually for the last few years. The players were expected tohave more restrictions placed on them in free agency, while big-spending teams are also anticipated to lose the ability to out-spend small and mid market rivals in getting players in free agency because of a new tougher tax system.



Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/nba-l ... z1epEwYQBI
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/nba-l ... z1epEdkAke

I think this agreement is the result of both sides realizing that they are very much in danger of becoming irrelevant.

News of a "nuclear winter" was greeted with a huge collective yawn by the fans and the press alike. The fact is, very few fans care if they play this season or not. Many like myself have moved on without the NBA being of any importance whatsoever in our lives.

The sheer greed and arrogance of the players has turned off a large percentage of the fan base. Watching millionaires and billionaires engage in a prolonged food fight over a few percentage points of profit has become a huge bore.Nobody cares any more except for the normal working class families who were adversely affected by all of this.

I was hoping to see the whole season go down the toilet simply because it would be one less year that LeQueen could win a title. Now even if he does win it will come with a huge asterisk, so I suppose that's a positive. Better yet Miami can still fall apart again, and with new rules and restrictions perhaps they never get their team off the ground without adequate complimentary players. If any of the big 3 gets hurt their chances diminish even more.

One can always hope.

The biggest positive to come out of a short season is that the Cavs have one more year to suck and lose, and get yet another high lottery pick. By next year they should have a very solid core of young stars who will all be getting lots of minutes playing together, and within 3 years they could easily be a dominant team in the league again, just as Miami ages and crumbles. That would be the sweetest outcome. Best case scenario is Gilbert's prediction comes true and the Cavs get back on top before LeBitch ever gets a ring.

As I said, one can always hope.

"The end of the regular season and playoffs will be pushed back upwards of two weeks to accommodate for more games."

NBA playoffs in July.

Sheridan column: How the NBA deal got done, and what’s in it

By Chris Sheridan
November 26, 2011 at 6:13 AM

NEW YORK — When it came time to be flexible, the commissioner who once called himself “Easy Dave” moved like he was Shakira.

David Stern and the NBA’s team owners made concessions on several key issues, both financial and system-related, to get the NBA lockout settled in the wee hours of the morning today at the close of a 15-hour bargaining session.

Here are some of the key details of those moves, according to a league source who was privy to the details of the tentative agreement and shared those details with SheridanHoops.com.

_ On the financial split, the players will receive between 49 and 51 percent of revenues, depending on annual growth. The players had complained prior to Saturday that the owners’ previous offer effectively limited them to 50.2 percent of revenues, but the source said 51 percent was now reasonably achievable with robust growth.

_Owners dropped their insistence on what would have been known as the Carmelo Anthony rule, preventing teams from executing extend-and-trade deals similar to the one that sent Anthony from the Denver Nuggets to the New York Knicks last season. This means that if Dwight Howard, Deron Williams and Chris Paul want to leverage their way out of Orlando, New Jersey and New Orleans, they will still be eligible to sign four-year extensions with their current teams before being immediately traded elsewhere.

_ Teams above the salary cap will be able to offer four-year mid-level exception contracts to free agents each season. Previously, owners were asking that teams be limited to offering a four-year deal one year, a three-year deal the next, then four, then three, etc.

_ The rookie salary scale and veteran minimum salaries will stay the same as they were last season. Owners had been seeking 12 percent cuts.

_ Qualifying offers to restricted free agents will become “significantly” improved. The sides had already agreed to reduce the time for a team to match an offer to a restricted free agent from 7 days to 3.

_ A new $2.5 million exception will be available to teams that go below the salary cap, then use all of their cap room to sign free agents. Once they are back above the cap, they will be able to use the new exception instead of being limited to filling out their rosters with players on minimum contracts.

_ The prohibition on luxury tax-paying teams from executing sign-and-trade deals was loosened, although the freedom to execute those types of deals will still be limited.

Both sides will have the option to opt out of the 10-year deal after six years. Stern said he does not expect unanimous support from the owners, who will vote on the tentative agreement after the owners’ full negotiating committee receives a rundown of what is in the new deal.

Players also must ratify the agreement, a process that could take as long as a week while the union, which dissolved itself last week by issuing a disclaimer of interest, is reconstituted.

But if both constituencies sign off on the agreement, training camps and free agency will open simultaneously on Dec. 9, and the season will start with a tripleheader — Boston-New York, Chicago-L.A. Lakers and Miami-Dallas (a rematch of the NBA Finals) — on Dec. 25.

Both Stern and Hunter appeared visibly drained from the 15-hour bargaining session, which ended at 3 a.m. local time.

The ownership side was most pleased with added restrictions and more punitive tax rates on teams that exceed the luxury tax threshold, feeling the new system will ensure a greater degree of competitive balance than existed under the previous agreement. Also, the financial concessions made by the players could total as much as $3 billion over the next 10 years.

“It will largely prevent the high spending teams from competing in the free agent market the way they have in the past," deputy commissioner Adam Silver said. "The luxury tax is harsher than it was in the last deal, and we hope it’s effective. You never can be sure with how a new system will work, but we feel ultimately it will give fans in each community hope that they can compete for championships, and that their basis for believing in their team will be a function of management of that team, rather than how deep the owner's pockets are or how large the market is."

The deal also includes an amnesty provision, which will allow teams to cut one player from their roster whose salary will not fully count against the salary cap or luxury tax

Amnesty clause:


We don't know all the particulars of the amnesty clause, which is kind of important, because there are somewhat obvious ways to manipulate it and create additional roster flexibility.

Does a team have to be over the luxury tax in order to release a player? If not, then the Washington Wizards could release Lewis, renounce Yi Jianlian and Josh Howard and free up nearly $40 million in cap room – and change their team in a hurry.

More significantly: Can a team be prevented from re-signing a player it releases? If not, then the San Antonio Spurs could amnesty Tim Duncan (wink, wink), re-sign him to the veteran’s minimum and use the net $20 million cap space to sign a free agent that could help them make one more championship run – someone like Tyson Chandler.

Would the NBA would allow that?

Below is our team-by-team rundown of amnesty candidates, with a few pithy remarks.

HAWKS: The kneejerk response is to dump Joe Johnson, who is owed $107 million over the next five years. But with Johnson gone, the cap savings would have to go toward re-signing Jamal Crawford. A better idea might be dumping Kirk Hinrich’s $8 million and turning over the reins to Jeff Teague.

CELTICS: Not much flexibility here with $56 million committed to the Awesome Foursome. Jermaine O’Neal has one year at $6.2 million but might be needed with the retirement of Shaquille O’Neal, the departure of Nenad Krstic and the free agency of Glen Davis. When JO comes off the cap in 2012, that money likely will go to retaining Jeff Green.

BOBCATS: Even with every deal they make driven by dollars, they still have some candidates. They could really slash and burn by dumping recently acquired Corey Maggette (2 years, $21 million). One-dimensional Matt Carroll has two years and $7.4 million. Or they could cut loose of DeSegana Diop (2 years, $14.2 million) to create eventual playing time for Bismack Biyombo, who may be the next DeSegana Diop.

BULLS: Although Carlos Boozer and Luol Deng both are overpaid, the Bulls are positioned pretty well over the next five years. The drafting of Jimmy Butler could make Kyle Korver (2 years, $10M) or Ronnie Brewer (2 years, $9M) expendable, but they still have value as trade chips.

CAVALIERS: Baron Davis and his $28 million over the next two years is a bit much for a “mentor.” What’s he gonna do – teach Kyrie Irving how to eat?

MAVERICKS: The champs have an ideal candidate in Haywood’s five years and $45 million, which would allow them to retain key pieces Chandler and J.J. Barea.

NUGGETS: They will have to overpay to keep Nene but have the means to do so, because no one under contract is making more than Andre Miller’s $7.8 million, most of their key pieces are still on their rookie deals and half their rotation is playing in China this season. But they could be real players in free agency if they chose to dump Al Harrington’s $28 million over the next four years.

PISTONS: Now that John Kuester is gone, it’s time for Richard Hamilton and his $25.3 million over two years to be shown the door as well. Ben Gordon (3 years, $37.2M) and Charlie Villanueva (3 years, $24M) are lucky they are young enough to still fit into a rebuilding module.

WARRIORS: Dumping Charlie Bell ($4.1M) would clear rotation room for incoming rookie Klay Thompson. Or they could make a run at Nene or Chandler after turning loose Andris Biedrins (3 years, $27M), who is always hurt or in foul trouble.

ROCKETS: Maybe GM Darryl Morey hired Kevin McHale to play the low post. Even at 54 years old, he would be more effective than Hasheem Thabeet ($5.1M), who might be spared as the only center on the roster. With Kyle Lowry and Goran Dragic still under contract, Least Improved Player Jonny Flynn ($3.4M) looks like a spare part, too.

PACERS: After Danny Granger, who is either a cornerstone or a huge trade chip, the only player making more than $3 million is James Posey ($6.9M), who coincidentally plays the same position as Granger and 2010 pick Paul George. See ya.

CLIPPERS: Yes, true low-post centers are tough to come by. But if the Clippers get rid of Chris Kaman’s $12.2 million, they clear the paint for jumping jacks Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan and can get into the big man grab bag of Chandler, Nene, Gasol or Sam Dalembert. Ryan Gomes (2 years, $8M) could be set free instead.

LAKERS: The Lakers contend for championships, so Lamar Odom’s $8.9 million is a non-starter, even with a team payroll approaching $100 million. However, fourth-string small forward Walton (2 years, $13.7M) certainly fits the bill.

GRIZZLIES: Given that their surprising playoff run featured zero points from Rudy Gay, his $69 million over the next four years may look mighty tempting to owner Michael Heisley - especially since Zach Randolph was promised that Gasol would be re-signed. But Gay has much more value as a trade chip. They’re positioned very well.

HEAT: Mike Miller has four years and $24 million remaining, which is a big chunk of change for a player as fragile as a Ming vase. Wouldn’t Shane Battier (long-term) or Grant Hill (short-term) fill this role more cheaply and effectively?

BUCKS: Too bad Michael Redd is no longer on the payroll. With Ersan Ilyasova headed back to Turkey, the Bucks need to hold onto Drew Gooden (4 years, $26M). A possibility is Beno Udrih (2 years, $15M), who would not be unemployed for very long.

TIMBERWOLVES: Lotsa mismatched parts here that will remind Rick Adelman of his glory days in Golden State. Most teams don’t need three lumbering, limited big men, so take your pick among Darko Milicic (3 years, $15.7M), Brad Miller (2 years, $9.8M) or Nikola Pekovic (2 years, $8.9M). The arrival of Derrick Williams could make Martell Webster ($5.2M) an option as well.

NETS: Travis Outlaw is the prime suspect with $28 million due over the next four years. This team has much bigger problems, like taking up residence in Brooklyn without Deron Williams or Brook Lopez.

HORNETS: Their hands are tied. They have five players under contract, and two of them are Chris Paul and caddie/buddy Jarrett Jack (2 years, $10.8M). If they pull the trigger on either Emeka Okafor (3 years, $40.5M) or Trevor Ariza (3 years, $22M), Paul is as good as gone, too.

KNICKS: Between Donnie Walsh’s housecleaning and Mike D’Antoni’s short rotation, the Knicks need almost everyone they have. But they certainly could dump Renaldo Balkman (2 years, $3.3M), which gets them close to another max player next summer.

THUNDER: They have no unrestricted free agents and a future payroll that has room to pay Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Serge Ibaka. They also have the childish Nate Robinson ($4.5M), who may have value at the trading deadline.

MAGIC: Jason Richardson is a free agent, so they could rebuild in a hurry if they bite the bullet, deal Dwight Howard and amnesty Gilbert Arenas (3 years, $62M). And after they finish bulldozing the whole thing, they are still stuck with fading Hedo Turkoglu (3 years, $34.2M).

SIXERS: The new owners inherit a payroll below the luxury tax, so letting go of Brand (2 years, $36.2M) isn’t as obvious as it seems. A better choice would be the fading Andres Nocioni’s $6.6 million.

SUNS: The no-brainer is Josh Childress (4 years, $27M), who somehow got the mid-level exception because he was a Greek League All-Star. As much as people like to point to Lewis as the poster child for the lockout, the Childress deal is just as bad. It is Outlaw vs. Childress for the worst.

TRAIL BLAZERS: The Oregonian had it right with Brandon Roy (3 years, $49M), whose knees aren’t going to last three years. His departure will clear minutes for emerging youngsters Wesley Matthews and Nicolas Batum – and cap room to keep them competitive.

KINGS: Restricted free agent Marcus Thornton’s strong finish to last season turns John Salmons (3 years, $24.1M) or Francisco Garcia (2 years, $11.9M) into prime suspects. Our choice would be Cisco, who plays only one position.

SPURS: ”Hey, Tim, lemme run this idea pas- oh, wait, never mind.” But the Spurs could let go of Richard Jefferson (3 years, $30.5M), who is still overpriced even after taking a pay cut.

RAPTORS: They are well under the salary cap, so there is no sense of urgency. Leandro Barbosa ($7.6M) and Linas Kleiza (2 years, $9.2M), who both have international wanderlust, are possibilities.

JAZZ: The recent arrivals of Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter place the bull’s-eye on Mehmet Okur, whose steep decline and $10.9 million for this season make him their No. 1 candidate.

WIZARDS: With two years left at more than $46 million and a lot of mileage that began to take a toll last season, Lewis seems to be an ideal candidate. His salary represents about half of the current payroll of the Wizards, whose cap is extremely flexible right now.

Chris Bernucca is a regular contributor to SheridanHoops.com. His columns appear every Thursday.

Wow, December 9 is going to be mind boggling.

Congrats to the Cavs who can dump Baron Davis.

But the MAGIC win the prize for being able to dump that insane Gilbert Arenas contract!!

I think this agreement is the result of both sides realizing that they are very much in danger of becoming irrelevant

I was sort of looking forward to the end of professional basketball. It kind of makes me yawn. But the resolution was kind of an obvious one since both players and owners can't afford to sacrifice a season. I can easily wait another month until the season starts.

The winners and losers of a new CBA
November, 26, 2011

ESPN.com
Archive
The NBA season will happen after all, thanks to a handshake deal struck in New York between David Stern’s NBA and what remains of Billy Hunter’s players association.

As the dust settles after one of the NBA’s more cantankerous episodes, here’s an early peek at who wins and who loses in the upcoming new collective bargaining agreement.

WINNER: David Stern

A missed season would have mucked up his legacy profoundly and called into question his ability to control his owners. A deal, on the other hand, shows he still has the touch.

WINNER: Billy Hunter

He was under serious fire from agents. They have been concerned about his salary, how he runs the union and too many concessions to the owners. And yet, for the third time in as many attempts, he has delivered what matters most: a deal. The first two times, pundits said they were bad deals for players, but over the following years, the pundits were proved wrong -- the players have done very well under Hunter, who many say has negotiated his last CBA. And if the players are sharing in the league’s overseas and national TV revenues, this deal also could look great by the time it’s done.

WINNER: Adam Silver

Stern pointedly put his deputy in the spotlight through one of the choppier moments in NBA history, with the tall order to “reset” the way the league works in a fashion that favors owners. The ride was plenty bumpy, but mission more or less accomplished.

WINNER: Derek Fisher’s next career

For much of the lockout, Fisher became the public face of the union, and the private one; he said he thought he had talked to every single NBA player during the lockout, except for a few whose email addresses had changed. He proved he can speak extemporaneously, in stressful environments, without putting his foot in his mouth. That bodes well for whatever he wants to do next.

WINNERS: Player development experts

With luxury tax more punitive than ever, there will be a premium on those who can help a team round out a roster with incredibly cheap but productive players. The Spurs have had a habit of finding and developing those guys -- now every team will have to do so.

WINNERS: Stat geeks

Everyone is playing “Moneyball” now. If it can help you control player costs, it can help you win titles.

WINNERS: Incoming owners

In Detroit and Philadelphia, they set the purchase price in an environment of league-wide losses and labor uncertainty. Now they emerge with owner-friendly rules, high TV ratings, media-friendly young stars to drive future league-wide ratings, a better national TV deal on the horizon, promising overseas markets and the knowledge that it’ll be harder in the future for opponents to outspend them.

LOSER: Mark Cuban

The good news is he gets to have a season of glory and a chance to defend that title. The bad news is he is said to have wanted a system that would protect him from big losses even as he went all-out to field the most competitive possible team. A stiff luxury tax, however, does not get him there. Now, to protect his bottom line, he’ll have to develop a new skill: spending discipline.

WINNER: Jerry Buss

Revenue sharing is a bitter pill to swallow, but he still owns one of the most lucrative franchises in sports, he’ll always be able to attract amazing free agents and now fans will understand if he spends a little less on payroll.

LOSERS: Lakers fans

One nice thing about rooting for the Lakers has long been knowing that the team would spend whatever it would take to be competitive. Now that’ll be harder.

LOSERS: The big agents

They tested their influence among players against Hunter and Fisher. And ultimately, this deal was struck between Hunter and Stern. Worth noting: The Players Association regulates agents.

WINNERS: Players who signed long guaranteed deals in the past year

This is a big group, ranging from Paul Pierce to LeBron James. It’ll be tough to beat their old-CBA deals under the new CBA.

WINNERS: The Knicks

This is a deep-pocketed team looking to build a winner. The Knicks still need more players, and with a hard cap out of the picture, they continue to have some flexibility to keep spending if they have to.

LOSERS: The middle class

As owners and the league have spent a year obsessing about player costs, one clear factor has emerged: The poor-value contracts are the big deals for middling players. With or without stiff taxes, you can expect more teams to catch on to the idea of paying for stars and filling in the rest of the roster cheaply.

WINNER: The D-League

As more teams seek bargain players, more teams will invest effort in getting the most out of the NBA's little brother.

LOSERS: Superstars

They have long made far less than they are worth, and that’s not going to change now.

WINNERS: Strategic dealmakers

A wild and woolly free-agent miniseason likely will commence Dec. 9 under new operating rules. Front offices that know the players they want and what they’re worth in this brave new world could work wonders. Look for the usual candidates -- San Antonio, Houston, Oklahoma City -- to be working the angles.

WINNER: Deron Williams

He gets to come home from Turkey without a major injury and having had likely the most lucrative offseason of any player. Mitigating factor: Now he’s seeking a big new deal in a more restrictive system.

WINNER: The New Orleans Hornets

These CBA talks long included talks of contracting the Hornets out of existence. Now that the talks are over, it has to feel good that that discussion never amounted to much. The next trick: Prove that under a new, more owner-friendly deal the team can be viable in the Big Easy.

WINNERS: Fans of the Spurs, Heat, Magic and Mavericks

It was a terrible thing to have your “win now” team sit now.

WINNER: Kobe Bryant

He’s now the NBA’s highest-paid player and a guy who made the right moves in the lockout, toying with various overseas backup plans while looking good back home by offering to lend money to NBA colleagues in need.

WINNERS: Timberwolves

Owner Glen Taylor gets to reduce the financial pain. President of basketball operations David Kahn keeps his job. New coach Rick Adelman breathes life into the proceedings. And the long list of talented young players grows further with Derrick Williams and Ricky Rubio.

WINNERS: The Denver Nuggets

Remember when the Heat had all that cap room to sign free agents? The Nuggets are basically like that, only now all kinds of teams will be on a course to shed payroll. There’s not a system in the world in which you can’t parlay tiny roster commitments into potential.

WINNER: Player movement

You know you love the excitement of a trade. And there’s going to be more of that. The old CBA went to some trouble to keep teams united. The new one, not so much. The league noticed that LeBron James’ desertion of Cleveland spurred more interest in the NBA, not, as feared, less. It’s no accident the new system will inspire a lot of player movement.

Revenue sharing will be a factor here, too. While a lot of the CBA fight was about the rich teams adding free agents, the deal's biggest effect might be at the other end of the spending spectrum. The stingiest teams ought to be ready to join the bidding to add salaries here and there. That's a win for small markets and for free agents.

LOSERS: The Portland Trail Blazers

The Blazers carry high salaries with a mediocre team, and we know for certain the GM has not spent the summer executing a new master plan. We know this because there is no GM. But common sense would suggest this team has to win a lot or change a lot, and one of its favorite tools of the past -- outspending rivals -- has grown trickier.

Portland gets to dump Brandon Roy, that's a pretty big win for them though....

I think the Cavs dump Jamison not Baron Davis.....

I think Davis. Jamison is on his final year. The teams still have to pay these guys so no way does Joe Johnson get cut under amnesty.

Mark, any thought to waiting until after the madness for a draft ?