From: jte@beefheart.cc.columbia.edu (Jeff Eldredge)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.basketball.pro
Subject: Re: Nets don't match, Terry Mills -> Pisto
Date: 2 Oct 92 14:55:58 GMT
Reply-To: jte@beefheart.cc.columbia.edu
Organization: Columbia University

In article <lcnp3vINNlei@cronkite> andy@misha.Central.Sun.COM (Andy Knipp  
SE Andersen) writes:
> In article 97303@bu.edu, sheyn@csa.bu.edu (Igor Sheyn) writes:
> > 
> > It's a ridiculous suggestion. What's the point of making an offer
> > if u don't really want a player? Just to spoil other team's salary  
pictures?
> > WHen the team is not even in your division?
> 
> Sure,  they did that for Koncak.  Hosed up Atlanta's salary cap for a  
while.
> Now I doubt that was their intention for Mills,   New Jersey would not  
be
> a team you would target.  Hmmm,  maybe they will offer Will Perdue 3 Mil
> a year next year.  :-)

Why would Jersey be a less likely target than Atlanta?  Atlanta never  
bloomed, though they had plenty of potential.  New Jersey is a possible  
future contender, given their youth, talent, and new coach.  They're  
exactly the type of organization that an aging team in decline like the  
Pistons might want to hose.   

However, this talk of sabotaging other teams' salary caps borders on  
ridiculous conspiracy theory, particularly given the rule that says a team  
cannot trade a resigned restricted free-agent to the offering team for at  
least a year.  The latter has the effect that a team will think twice  
before resigning the restricted free agent, particularly in this day and  
age of the hovering salary cap.  

As has been mentioned, historically, there have been few cases of teams  
failing to resign restricted free agents.  But, I believe these situations  
were due to either more room under the cap or a situation where the  
absence of the player in question would crush the team (Harvey Grant).   
Apropos of this, does anyone have a complete list of restricted free  
agents (or at least the big money ones) and the outcomes?  

I think we'll be seeing more of this reluctance to resign restricted  
free-agents as the salary cap becomes more constricting.  On the other  
hand, resigning a restricted free agent is one of the few ways to get  
around the cap (even though it could cripple you for the future), so maybe  
the market will balance itself out.

(Any chance of the players succeeding in having the salary cap eliminated  
in upcoming player/owner talks?)

Nevertheless, I have to admit the Jon Koncak thing was either a clear-cut  
case of this kind of subversion or the most incredibly stupid deal ever  
made in the history of professional sports.    

As for the Mills deal....being a Nets fan, I'm sorry to see him go.  He  
offered a lot of support from the bench and his absence will clearly place  
a heavier importance on Coleman staying healthy (Mills started 24 games,  
most at power forward).  However, $2 million is too much for a guy who is  
not a quick defender and can't really run the floor.  It's beyond me how  
in the world he bought that hogwash from Isaiah Thomas about how the  
Pistons are looking towards a youthful future.  The Pistons are a bunch of  
old men.  Mills made a mistake by leaving one of the up and coming teams  
in the NBA.