Dangerous A

I totally agree. I actually watched that segment of the show live and thought it was Haas as well. I would've loved to see a Haas vs. Benjamin program for the IC title throughout the summer culminating in a 2 out of 3 falls match at Summerslam or something. I don't hate Carlito or anything, but if you are gonna max out your best potential matches and feuds, they had one with Haas and Benjamin.

There was a lot of choices made in regards to Raw that in hindsight, look very stupid. The Hassan bit was just one of them. Hassan didn't need to lose cleanly. Hell, they have a PPV this sunday, why not Cena by DQ because of outside interference from Christian and Jericho? Then there is a story there for Sunday because it'll reinforce Cena having to deal with 2 guys who might or might not be on the same page. Carlito beating Shelton with no build up was dumb as well. They should've had a verbal altercation ending with a Carlito beatdown and him spitting apple all over Shelton and then Shelton demanding a match for Sunday. Creative has it all bass-ackwards.

What makes the Pippen argument so compelling is he has the hardware and was second best on his team, but even with the first year after Jordan in 94, he really just seemed slightly above average. The Bulls campaign in 94 was exceptional, but the half year after before Jordan came back, the Bulls were not a playoff team and Pippen was not doing so well. I figure if Jordan would've stayed retired after 93, Pippen would probrably been in the echelon of Barkley, Malone, Ewing, level players since I consider that time to be his peak. I also don't think Pippen could lead a team to a championship. He needed to feed off another big name. Not saying he wasn't good. Just not good enough to be the #1 guy on a team that could win hardware.

I'm not sure it'll work. Pumpkins topped out with Infinite Sadness for me, I dont' really care to hear anymore from these guys.

Sometime in late '97, NoCalMike loaned me Matter of Respect '96, Heatwave '96, and Barely Legal. My wrestling world was turned upside down after that.

ESPN's Insider Chad Ford's 3rd Mock Draft... 1) Milwaukee-Andrew Bogut : A mock draft is supposed to tell you who the Bucks are going to take … not who they should take. I still believe that Marvin Williams should be the No. 1 pick in the draft, but all the chatter I'm hearing out of Milwaukee is that the Bucks are leaning strongly in Bogut's direction. Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad pick. Bogut has the chance to be special and he's a low-risk player. But I'm still not convinced it's the right decision. 2) Atlanta- Marvin Williams:There's talk that the Hawks want Deron Williams and are flirting with him at No. 2. He's a great point guard, but he's the wrong Williams at No. 2. If the Hawks really want Deron, they should swap with the Blazers or Hornets, both of whom would love to get their hands on Marvin. Otherwise you take Marvin and trade the other guys on the team that play the same position. 3) Portland- Chris Paul: The Blazers won't take Paul at No. 3. If, for some reason, they own this pick on draft night, Gerald Green would be the guy. So why is Paul the pick here? Because it's now almost a foregone conclusion that the Blazers are going to trade this pick. It could be to the Hawks, Bobcats, Jazz, Raptors or Lakers … but the chances of Portland selecting at No. 3 seem very slim at this point. Anyone else in this position will be deciding between Paul and Deron Williams. 4) New Orleans- Deron Williams: The Hornets have a greater need at small forward. They'd love to move up and get Marvin Williams and they're flirting with swapping with Utah and taking Danny Granger. If they stay here, Williams is the guy. They think he's a big upgrade over Speedy Claxton and Dan Dickau. It's hard to argue with that. 5) Charlotte- Danny Granger: The Bobcats are trying to move up in the draft to get their hands on Marvin Williams or Paul. If Paul, Marvin and Deron Williams are off the board, the team will choose between potential (Green) and immediate impact (Granger). Given Bernie Bickerstaff's track record last year, don't be surprised if it's Granger. 6) Utah- Channing Frye: Call this a hunch. The Jazz still are trying to move up to get a shot at Paul or Deron Williams. If they're unsuccessful, they'll try to address their other need for a big, athletic shot blocker. For months they were high on Vazquez, but have cooled considerably in the last week. That leaves Frye as the most logical choice. He hasn't worked out for the Jazz, but that doesn't mean they won't take him. He'd be a good fit in Utah. 7) Toronto- Gerald Green: This is a dream scenario for the Raptors. Green could go as high as No. 3 and he'll get long looks from both the Hornets and Bobcats. If he falls here, the Raptors would get a potential star to pair with Chris Bosh. He reminds many scouts of Tracy McGrady and for good reason. He's a few years away from being that player, but the potential is well worth it. If he's gone, Raymond Felton, Fran Vazquez, Frye and Granger would all get serious consideration 8) New York- Fran Vasquez: Sources claim that the Knicks made a promise to Frye and shut down his workouts. It may have been too little, too late. Other teams are on to Frye and the chances he makes it to the Knicks have now diminished. If he's not there, the Knicks will still look to go big. Vazquez is the other big guy who could come in and play right away. 9) Golden State- Ike Diogu: The Warriors want Frye or Granger, but if those two are off the board, they'll look for the next-best power forward. Sean May, Hakim Warrick and Chris Taft will all get looks here as well. Diogu gets the nod because of his length (he has the reach of a 7-footer, a la Elton Brand) and shot-blocking ability. 10) LA Lakers- Martell Webster: There is talk, a lot of talk, that the Lakers have promised high school center Andrew Bynum that they'll take him if they keep their pick. Bynum sure looks like Shaq, and he's worked out well, but it's just a little too much to believe right now. It would be years before Phil Jackson would give him a whiff of playing time. Until we get to the bottom of the Bynum stuff, we're moving Felton out and Webster in. With Jackson running the show, the Lakers are going to need a big shooter. Webster is the best on the board. Think of him as a young Glen Rice. 11) Orlando- Sean May: The Magic like Webster as well, but also feel like they need a tough scorer and rebounder in the paint, and May should be a perfect fit. Though he's a little undersized to play his natural position (center) in the pros, he should be fine paired with Dwight Howard. 12) LA Clippers- Yaroslav Korolev: We're torn. We've heard two names associated with the Clippers all month. One is Korolev, who Russian sources claim received a promise from the Clippers. The other is Antoine Wright, whom Dunleavy fell in love with early in the draft process. Whom to choose? Our Clippers source told us in Treviso that there were certain players they'd take in front of Korolev. Is Wright one of them? We're still sorting it out, but until we hear otherwise, we've got to go with Korolev here. Given the latest revelations about the new NBDL minor league, Dunleavy can bring him over and get him some valuable experience in the D league. 13) Charlotte- Raymond Felton: This is a real steal for the Bobcats if they can land Felton here. The Bobcats need a point guard badly and he's a local kid to boot. He's the fastest point guard in the draft baseline to baseline, has improved his outside shooting and is an excellent floor leader. A major upgrade over what they have now. 14) Minnesota- Antoine Wright: There are lots of different ways the Timberwolves could go here. Bynum, Joey Graham and Charlie Villanueva could also get looks. It will be tough for them to pass on Wright's versatility and perimeter shooting – especially with Latrell Sprewell heading into free agency. 15) New Jersey- Hakim Warrick: He's not Kenyon Martin, but he's long, athletic and runs the floor. Plus, he has the experience to contribute immediately. With Jason Kidd running the show, Warrick should get a lot of dunks. 16) Toronto- Andrew Bynum: The talk is that he's going to either the Lakers or the Timberwolves. But if he falls this far, Raptors GM Rob Babcock will be tempted. The Raptors desperately need a big man with size and toughness. Bynum has that. He's blown people away in workouts with his skills, soft touch and intelligence. He may be a few years away, but landing two potential stars in Green and Bynum to team with Chris Bosh could completely turn the Raptors around in a couple of years. If Bynum's off the board, Croatian point guard Roko Ukic has turned a lot of heads in Toronto. 17) Indiana- Martynas Andriuskevicius: The Pacers do need to find a replacement for Reggie Miller's shooting, but will likely try to do that with a veteran in free agency. Guys such as Francisco Garcia and Rashad McCants are possibilities, but neither would likely be able to crack the lineup next year. Andriuskevicius could go much earlier than this, based on potential, but it's been tough to find a place for a guy who physically is still a good two years away from being able to contribute. He needs a team willing to be patient. No one has a better track record of that over the years than the Pacers. Now that teams will be able to send players down to the D League, the risk is minimized. This is a long-term project for a team that doesn't have a lot of holes to fill. 18) Boston- Joey Graham: The Celtics were flirting with taking an international player (such as Ersan Ilyasova or Andriuskevicius) and stashing him overseas, but it's tough to see them passing on Graham, a big, physical small forward who tested out as the best athlete in Chicago. He could step in and immediately help the Celtics next season . 19) Memphis- Julius Hodge: Hodge might not be the greatest shooter in the draft, but he has all the intangibles Jerry West loves in his players. He's tough and versatile, and he seems to want it more than most guys on the floor. The Grizzlies believe he'll be a point guard, at least part-time, in the pros. It looks as though they'll lose Earl Watson to free agency and wouldn't mind losing Jason Williams in a trade, so the position is a need. Hodge has earned good reviews in every workout and seems to have moved himself up with every one. West has a history of ignoring convention, which explains why a player like Hodge would go this high 20) Denver- Ersan Ilyasova: With multiple picks, the Nuggets plan to leave at least one guy in Europe for a few years. Many believe Ilyasova was the best young prospect in Europe before a severe ankle injury kept him out most of the year. His workouts went well enough in Chicago to secure his place in the mid-first round. 21) Phoenix- Johan Petro: Petro has the size and talent of a lottery pick, but he has been very slow to develop it, which has caused some NBA teams to worry. Petro is probably another year or two away from helping a team even if he does develop. However, if he ever gets it, he could be the perfect center in the Suns' system down the road. 22) Denver- Francisco Garcia: The Nuggets opt for upside with their first pick and go with need for their second. The team needs perimeter shooting badly, and Garcia can deliver. He's not the greatest athlete in the world, but he can stroke it and plays with the passion George Karl likes in his players. High school guard Monta Ellis is also a possibility here. The Nuggets love him, but would Karl ever play him? 23) Sacramento- Rashad McCants: McCants might be the toughest guy in the draft to project. On talent, he's easily a top-10 pick, maybe top-five. But just about every team in the league has uncovered a number of red flags on the background check. He's going to have to prove to teams that whatever problems he had at North Carolina are behind him. If he does, he'll go higher. If he doesn't, he'll slip down to a team like the Kings, who need that help at the two and are willing to take the risk on such a talent. 24) Houston- Wayne Simien: The Rockets could use a tough rebounder with experience, and Simien fits the bill. Concerns about injuries and size are the only things keeping him out of the lottery. He's one of the few guys who isn't afraid to go inside and bang, but also has a nice perimeter game. He has worked out really well just about everywhere 25) Seattle- Jarrett Jack: Jack could be off the board in the mid-first round, but it's conceivable he could slip all the way to here. He's a very good point guard prospect who just needs to cut down on his turnovers. With Antonio Daniels set to bolt in free agency, the Sonics will have a strong need for a backup point guard with size and toughness 26) Detroit- Ryan Gomes: Gomes is a skilled forward, an inside-outside scoring threat who reminds some scouts of Corliss Williamson. He started his career at the four, but played really well at the three this year. He's a good offensive rebounder, has extended his range to the NBA 3-point line and is a good passer. He also has a 7-foot-2 wingspan. 27) Utah- Roko Ukic: He has had a great year in Croatia and wowed scouts at the Reebok Eurocamp. Could go as high as No. 16 to the Raptors and will get long looks from the Celtics and Nuggets. A little wild for Jerry Sloan's taste, but he's long, plays defense, and is very tough and experienced. If he could shoot, he'd be a much higher pick. Look for the Jazz to leave him overseas for another season or two. 28) San Antonio- Charlie Villaneuva: Villanueva has the skills of a lottery pick but proved to be a bit lazy and unreliable at UConn. He could go as high as the late lottery or he could slip all the way to San Antonio. He has all the offensive skills to be a perfect fit for the Spurs. And head coach Gregg Popovich is the right coach to motivate Villanueva to play some defense. 29) Miami- Mile Ilic: Ilic surprised a lot of people by keeping his name in the draft. He's a young, talented, big man who has really come on of late. Recently had an impressive 24-point, 10-rebound, two-block performance in front of a number of NBA scouts during the Serbia playoffs. Apparently that sealed the deal. Ilic doesn't have a buyout this year, so he may not come over right away. The Nuggets and Knicks are other teams who have shown a lot of interest in him. 30) New York- Andray Blatche: Blatche has been under the radar all year, in part, because he's insisted on not playing like a 7-footer in order to show NBA scouts that he's versatile. Blatche has been referred to as a poor man's Kevin Garnett and he has enough skills to be an intriguing pick for the Knicks at 30. He runs the floor well, can handle the ball, has 3-point range on his jumper and is an excellent rebounder. He may be a year or two away, but eventually he and Vazquez could give the Knicks a much taller and more talented front line. Feed off of that. BTW, if any of you are wondering what any of these guys is all about, put in a request here and I'll post the scouting report of the player(s) that you want to know more about.

Here are some breakdown details of the new 6 year deal from ESPN Insider... The NBA and union reached an agreement on the framework for a new collective bargaining agreement on Tuesday. The agreement appears to be a real compromise by both sides. In fact, NBA commissioner David Stern called the deal a "50-50 agreement" at the press conference. The owners got several concessions they wanted: slightly shorter player contracts, smaller raises, shorter guaranteed rookie contracts and an age minimum. The players received a guarantee that 57 percent of basketball-related income would be paid to the players. They also got an increase in the salary cap, a small reduction in the amount of escrow taxes on their salaries and a general raise in the caps on salaries. Over the course of the next few weeks, the two sides will work out the final details and draft the CBA, and the finer points of the agreement will come to light. Until then, here's a broad overview of what the new agreement means for free agency and the draft, based on the league's statement, Stern and Billy Hunter's press conference and an exclusive Insider interview with deputy commisoner Russ Granik on Tuesday evening. The draft Three big changes in the CBA should have a big effect on both this year's and next year's draft -- the increase in the minimum age to 19, the reduction of guaranteed years on rookie contracts and the development of the NBDL as a legitimate minor league. The age minimum Currently, players are eligible to declare for the NBA draft after their high school senior class graduation, if they are from the United States. If they are international players, they must be 18 years old by the night of the draft. For several years, Stern has been vocal in calling for an age minimum of 20 for players to be eligible for the draft. Union director Billy Hunter has been just as vocal opposing the limit. The players and owners agreed to a compromise that sets the age minimum at 19, plus one year removed from high school for American players. International and American players must turn 19 during the calendar year they are declaring for the draft. That means that -- gasp -- players who are 18 could still play in the NBA. Draftees just need to turn 19 by Dec. 31st of the year they want to enter the draft. Players born in November or December could appear in NBA games prior to their 19th birthday. Players who spend a year in prep school would be eligible for the draft, according to Granik, as long as they graduated from high school during the previous year. The rule would go into effect for the 2006 NBA draft. When the age minimum is implemented, it will dilute the draft for at least one year. If the rule had gone into effect last year, for example, eight of the first 19 players selected would have been ineligible for the draft. It could have an especially powerful effect on next year's draft. Most NBA scouts believe that 17-year-old high school center Greg Oden would be the consensus No. 1 player in the 2006 draft. As we understand the rule, he would be ineligible for the 2006 NBA draft. Stern wanted to keep NBA GMs and scouts out of high school gyms and it appears he will get his wish. Stern implied on Tuesday that there would be a directive from the league banning NBA GMs and scouts from scouting high school games. However, it's unclear how the age minimum will actually improve the image of the league. In fact, the new rules could backfire in that regard and actually do some damage in the relationship between the NBA, colleges and hoops fans. As the rules stand now, many players bypass college altogether. Under the new rules, more players will go to college, but more players than ever before will have their eye on the NBA the minute they step on campus. Just as fans are falling in love with a Carmelo Anthony, he'll be gone. Will colleges really want to recruit guys like Oden, who they know will want to play for only one year as pit stop on his way to the NBA? Couple that issue with the lowering of the age minimum to 18 for the NBDL, and the NBA may have created more harm than help for the NCAA. Expect to see more players skip college and go directly to the NBDL, where they'll get a one-year paid audition for NBA scouts before they are draft eligible. The age minimum could be challenged in court. However, the league is confident the rule will hold up because it was collectively bargained. The NFL successfully defended a recent suit by former Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett. In May, a three-judge appeals panel said federal labor policy allows NFL teams to set rules governing when players can enter the league, stopping Clarett from entering last year's NFL draft. Minor league Perhaps the most significant development in the new CBA will be the creation of a true NBA minor league via the NBDL. Both sides were interested in making this happen and it was never a serious impediment to the bargaining process. The league wanted the minor league because it wanted to give teams an outlet to develop younger players. It should be especially beneficial to veteran teams with young players, like Darko Milicic, who can't crack the rotation. The players wanted it because it would create more jobs. If a team sends a young player down to the NBDL, he wouldn't count on their active roster. That job would, in turn, go to a veteran. The NBDL recently expanded to eight teams. Stern said his goal will be to add another seven teams by the start of the 2006-07 season. However, deputy commisoner Russ Granik told Insider that teams will be allowed to begin sending players to the D league this season. Here are the key terms of the agreement on the NBDL: • Each NBA team will be allowed to send players to a designated NBDL team, along with an assistant coach to monitor the players' development. • The league will eventually expand to 15 teams, and two NBA teams will share each NBDL team. • Players can be sent down to the NBDL for only the first two years of their career. Veterans cannot be assigned to an NBDL team. • First-round picks will continue to be paid at the rookie wage scale. This was a key concession to the players, who didn't want owners to use the league as a way of cutting player salaries. • Teams will retain the rights to all of their players and can recall them at any time. • The NBDL will lower its age limit from 20 years to 18 years. That means that high school players who are ineligible for the draft will be able to play in the NBDL for a year before entering the draft. That dramatic change gives high school players another avenue into professional basketball (and an income source) should they choose to skip college. A minor league will alter the draft strategy of teams, encouraging them to draft younger players with big upsides because of the ability to develop players down the road. This could have a big impact in this year's draft. Big-upside players like Martynas Andriuskevicius, Andrew Bynum, Yaroslav Korolev and Ersan Ilyasova suddenly look much more interesting to teams than they did 24 hours ago. Now that teams have the option of drafting players and developing them in the minor leagues, look for more teams to reach, starting in this year's draft. Rookie salary scale Currently, first-round picks are tied into a league salary scale. When a first-round pick signs a contract, the first three years are guaranteed, with a team option for the fourth year. Players are paid a set amount based on where they were selected in the draft. The new deal modifies that deal in favor of the owners. Under the new rules, first-round picks will get the first two years of their contract guaranteed. The third and fourth years of the contract will be team options. The intended result by owners is to scare younger players away from the draft. The guaranteed payout will be smaller and the time they have to prove themselves in the league will be shorter. It's unclear whether this rule will pertain to this year's rookies, but it's already having an effect. Several agents told Insider that they pulled their international guys because they weren't sure they could prove enough in two years to persuade teams to pick up their option for the third year. Free agency Stern said on Tuesday that rookie signings and summer leagues can begin on July 1. However, the free agency period will be moved back slightly from July 15 to July 22 to allow time for the agreement to be fully drafted. Teams can negotiate with free agents from July 1 through July 21, but won't be allowed to sign them until July 22. Most of the rest of the rules will alter how teams function in the free agent market. With changes to contract lengths, the cap and luxury taxes, look for teams to have more freedom to spend and for more player movement overall. Salary cap The current CBA puts a salary cap in place based on basketball-related income. The cap is set at 48 percent of BRI. Last year, that came to $43.87 million. The cap will be raised to 51 percent of BRI. Depending on revenues, that could mean a cap next season of anywhere between $47 and $50 million. This is a big concession to the players. With a larger cap, more teams will be able to spend on contracts each summer. The Hawks, Bobcats, Cavaliers, Clippers, Bucks, Hornets and possibly the Suns will be the big winners here. It will allow each of them to get further under the cap to spend in free agency. For this offseason, it shouldn't have a big effect on any of the other teams in the league. Contract length Currently, players can sign a fully guaranteed contract for a maximum of seven years if they re-sign with their current team. Players signing with a new team in free agency can sign six-year deals. This has been a sticking point for owners, who often get stuck with the bill for players who become injured or don't pan out. Prior to this agreement, teams have had only a few unappealing options other than hang on to him when they have had a player with a bad contract -- hope he retires, try to trade him (usually taking back another bad contract in return) or try to buy out the contract. The owners' original proposal asked for contracts to be shortened to three and four years. The union wanted contract length to remain at six and seven years. The two sides compromised, shortening the maximum number of contract years to five and six. The lesser contracts may hurt older veterans a bit, but it may work to the advantage of younger players, giving them potentially an extra opportunity to sign a long-term contract. Raises For months, players and management remained far apart on this issue. Under the expiring CBA, players are allowed maximum raises of 12.5 percent per year if they re-sign with their current teams and 10 percent if they sign with new teams in free agency. The effect of those raises can be devastating to a franchise over time. For example, the Los Angeles Lakers, who last summer signed Kobe Bryant to a seven-year contract with 12.5 percent raises, are on the hook for $14.175 million this year. In 2010-11, they owe him $24.8 million. Owners contended the raises were out of whack with the current financial realities. Last year, the salary cap stayed flat. In years past, it has increased by small, incremental amounts. If salaries are rising 10 percent per year and the cap is rising three percent, teams that are avoiding the luxury tax now won't be so lucky in three or four years. Some clubs have tried to counter this trend by offering players flat contracts. However, very few agents or players agree to them. To curb the growth of salaries, the owners proposed rolling back the maximum raises to five percent for players who re-sign with their current teams and four percent for players who sign with a new teams in free agency. The two sides compromised by lowering the percentage of raises by two percent. Under the new proposed agreement, players will be allowed maximum raises of 10 percent per year if they re-sign with their current teams and eight percent if they sign with new teams in free agency. It should only have a minimal impact on short-term payrolls but over the long haul should reduce them by about two percent. Restricted free agency Under current rules, teams have 15 days to match any offer sheet on a player they have restricted free agency rights to. This rule often drags out the free agency process for both teams and players. Granik said in the new agreement the period that teams have to match will be shortened to seven days. That should have the effect of encouraging more teams to extend offer sheets to restricted free agents. The Gilbert Arenas rule Maybe it should be called the Carlos Boozer rule after the way Boozer, a restricted free agent last season, tempted the Cleveland Cavaliers into let him test the waters and then bolted to the Jazz while the Cavs sat by helplessly. Currently teams that draft a player in the second round but don't sign him to a three-year contract risk losing the player via free agency if they are not under the cap. This happened most recently with the Golden State Warriors when Gilbert Arenas got a huge offer from the Washington Wizards after his second season with the Warriors. Because the Warriors were over the cap, they were unable to match the deal. The new agreement creates an exception for second-round picks. Teams can now match offers to second-round picks as long as the team still owns its mid-level exception. To make this rule work, the new agreement says that any team signing a second rounder to an offer sheet cannot offer more than the mid-level amount in the first year of the contract. However, after the first season of the contract, the player's salary can jump to the maximum allowable for a player with three or more years in the league. So, to keep Arenas as an example, the Wizards would have been forced to offer Arenas $4.9 million in his first year. As long as the Warriors hadn't already spent their mid-level exception, they could have matched the Wizards offer and kept him under contract. Minimum contracts The NBA minimum wage, currently starting at $385,277 and increasing each year a player is in the league, will increase by three and a half percent. This was an obvious concession by the league and placated a large constituency of players who consistently sign deals for minimum wage. Roster size Currently, teams can have a maximum of 15 players on their rosters, with a minimum of 11. Under the new agreement, the minimum will be raised to 14. This is another concession by the league. The owners also have agreed to do away with the injured list, changing to inactive and active lists. That means teams no longer will have to concoct player injuries in order to manage their roster. Luxury tax The infamous luxury tax is something for which neither side cares. However, it's Stern's biggest stick for beating the owners into submission for out-of-control spending. Last season, teams whose payroll exceeded $54.6 million paid a dollar-for-dollar tax on the amount they were over the threshold. For example, the Knicks' payroll last season was $94.4 million. That means they paid the league $39.8 million in tax penalties. The total taxes paid by teams last season amounted to more than $157 million. The luxury tax will continue to kick in when total player salaries exceed 61.1 percent of total basketball revenues. According to the league's press release, tax treatment for injured players and minimum-salary players will be liberalized. However, there are no details on what exactly that means. Under the old agreement, luxury tax revenues were redistributed to non tax paying teams. Under the new agreement, luxury tax revenues will be distributed evenly among all 30 clubs. That means, in essence, that high paying tax teams like the Knicks will get a partial rebate on the taxes they paid. The new CBA also makes two new exceptions to the luxury tax and salary cap, according to Granik. First, under current rules players who are determined to be "permanently injured" cannot be taken off the books for two years. In the new agreement that number will be reduced to one. Second, each team will be given a one-time option this summer to waive one player from its roster and receive luxury tax relief. The team will still have to pay the player and his salary will still count against the cap, but the team won't have to pay a luxury tax on his salary. For example, the Knicks' Allan Houston might a candidate to be waived because of this rule. Player escrow accounts Currently, players must pay 10 percent of their salaries into an escrow account each season. If, at season's end, the total amount of player salaries exceeds 57 percent of the league's total basketball-related income, that money goes to the owners. If it doesn't exceed 57 percent, the players get their money back. For the past two seasons, salaries have been hovering at more than 60 percent of BRI, and the owners who have kept their payrolls below the league's luxury-tax threshold (and a few that have fallen within a certain "cliff threshold") have gotten millions back from the players. The windfall teams got last year from the escrow tax and fees paid by owners who were over the luxury-tax threshold put roughly $8 million back in the pockets of those owners who were under the tax or in the cliff threshold. For several teams, that rebate meant the difference between turning a profit and posting a loss for the season. Owners compromised by agreeing to phase down the escrow taxes. Next season 10 percent will be take from paychecks if the threshold occurs. In seasons two through five of the deal, it will drop to nine percent. In the sixth year of the deal, it will drop again, to eight percent. There is another significant development in this area. Under current rules, the NBA has sole discretion over the use of the escrow money. Currently, it redistributes the cash to teams that are under the luxury tax threshold. In essence, Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling gets a bonus for being cheap. In the new agreement, the escrow money will be distributed equally among all 30 teams, lessening the impact of the luxury tax. Trade rules For years, both GMs and players have been complaining about restrictive trade rules that mandate all trades be within 115 percent and $100,000 of each other. Those rules make many prospective trades impossible. The trade rules will be significantly loosened under the new CBA. The gap allowed between salaries traded and received will be increased to 125 percent and $100,000. Chad Ford covers the NBA for ESPN Insider.

You should know better, you were once a mod!!! That said, there are great arguments for him being higher or lower than where benoitrulz ranked him. That's the beauty of lists, they are subjective, and therefore ripe for TSM's scorn.

Insane that he should be ranked higher or lower?

I am in the camp of getting rid of the GM/Authority figure role altogether. However, I will give Bischoff credit in that originally he was supposed to only work for 90 days so WWE could humiliate him real quick and then jettison him, but to his credit he's hung on far longer than anyone expected. That said, I think he and Teddy Long should go. I like them both, but for the sake of changing SOMETHING in the template of the shows, I would be willing to part with both GM's to have a somewhat fresher show that doesn't need an authority figure to push the action.

I heard Kong will have a ton more agility thanks to CGI advancements. I heard he'll be jumping around and moving like the newest Hulk movie movements.

Happy about the Dirty Harry love with 2 lines, baby!

Cena isn't even an injured Austin. Sorry, but even when Austin wasn't healthy, he was smart enough to know his limitations in what he can and can't do. Cena just flat out can't do, well, quite a bit. I shuddered with horror and fear at the match him and Hassan could've put on had it gone on any longer. Cena is as bad as Hassan. There. I said it.

I am going to go out on a limb and say that since Cena can't hide behind a brawling gimmick match this month, that Jericho and Christian won't be able to hide it and Cena will wrestle terribly. However, the crowd will eat it up with a spoon. I'm thinking this guy is more and more like Ultimate Warrior. Terrible in the ring, yet wildly over with the fans.

You can access it by going to allhiphop.com, it's on webpage. You have to have Window's Media Player. I heard it and I have to say I am impressed that the song is over 10 minutes and he has quite a bit to say. I wasn't impressed with his flow at first, but listening to that song and how he sounds against the different changeup beats, I have to say Game's flow has me second guessing.

Not much to add. We are going to game 7. You don't get much better than that. While this series won't go down in history as great (unless Game 7 is an absolute barn burner or helluva story) I am glad it happened. We get Game 7 in the Finals and the Labor Negotiating is over. Just a good day to be an NBA fan.

So the article which YOU posted CLEARLY says that the US is AGAINST this measure... yet the only comment you have AT ALL is to title it "taking care of your friends" and then make that charming last comment. Bravo. Bra-fucking-vo. Pardon me sir, you have something stuck in your teeth, oops it's your foot. You just proved that you literally care NOTHING about the actual facts of ANY debate, and you have NO agenda other than to mindlessly blast the United States at every single turn regardless of how little to do it has with the actual subject at hand. Little hint: Mike and the others didn't leave because of his banning. They left because of rampant bloody fucking stupidity like this. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Post. of. the. day.

Don't forget to include the following in things the NBA did right that NHL did wrong... 1) Make more money 2) Market their stars better Not to say Hockey sucks because it doesn't, just felt like piling on the NHL some more

Actually, the period between 89-92 you could argue that he should've or could've been league MVP if he weren't playing for Philly. In 1989-90, he should've won MVP and even had more first place votes than Magic, but not enough overall. Even before 89, he was pretty damn good although I will admit he is a pretty good self promoter and controversy helped put him more into the spotlight in the early years than his play or team record.

I wasn't there for the execution of it all, but I can imagine going to this show and being let down by the finish they went with. That said, I think they have at least generated some buzz as to what is going to happen with the ROH title and all. Also, I agree the way Aries has been booked the last 2 weeks has made him look a little weak, although they at least have played up that his neck is injured and he is starting to burn out from the heavy defenses. Still, a loss to Ki followed by a loss to Punk kind of puts a little tarnish on what I thought was a brilliant campaign with the ROH title.

Penny Hardaway is ranked too high on his list, IMHO, but I think he is deserving to be on it around 45-50 ranking.

While this subject is being covered in the NBA Offseason thread, I think it's a decent enough topic that it deserves it's own thread. Depends on what EvilAlKeiper thinks I guess

I really wanted to see Oden play. I know ESPN 2 broadcasted a game or two of his. From what I've seen, he has a Shaq like body, as in when Shaq was in high school body, not the on again, off again tub of goo he has been known to become in the last several offseasons.

A lot of it has to do with throwing college hoops a bone. One year in for a lot of these kids will at least give scouts and teams a chance to see how these kids can play at another higher level. I think the timing sucks because it delays Greg Oden (top rated high school player this year nationally that isn't a senior) by a year, but not that big a deal to me. The college game would much rather have some one or two and done's because it helps market the game better. If any of you think the college game is about the "student-athlete" you are only kidding yourself. The NBA doesn't want to pump money into a developmental league when the NCAA can do it for them, similar to the NFL. Yeah there is NFL Europe and whatever, but the percentage of guys who go there and end up in the league is very slim. The NFL basically has college football developing it's talent. NBA is trying to do the same. A star recruit can bring in tons of money to a university if he is very good, even if it's just for a year or two. It's all about the money. I don't think 19 is bad. I still don't like them telling people when they can and can't make money, but oh well. It's the league protecting itself from itself, which I don't like, but as long as there is not work stoppage, I'm a happy camper.

I hate to break it to you, but I'm Banky. I just needed to start a thread to find out where I am