Basketball writing, scouting reports and salary cap analysis from the archive.
Jackie Carmichael Carmichael would likely have been drafted were he from a bigger school. He scores around the paint with good touch, rebounds the ball, and protects the rim without fouling. He's big enough, athletic enough, skilled enough, to make the NBA. But he just wasn't seen enough.…
Michael Carter-Williams Criticisms of Carter-Williams include that he can't shoot, and he can't make contested shots at the basket either, as he's too slender. He's raw, he's too turnover prone, he doesn't use his left hand enough, and he makes poor decisions. All true enough, and all sound…
Jeff Brooks Brooks has improved year on year and now finds himself playing a decent role for one of the best teams in a strong league. Playing for Cantu in Italy's SerieA, Brooks averaged 7.8 points and 4.8 rebounds per game as one of the few non-shooters on…
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Cuttino Mobley. Just putting it out there. And if he can't shoot like Cuttino Mobley yet, that's OK, because nor could Cuttino Mobley at that age. Andre Drummond We won't know until it's over quite whether or not Drummond's career is a reminder of why mental…
Keith Benson Benson has spent the past two summer leagues and training camps with the Hawks, but seemingly that well has dried up. He briefly played in the NBA, managing nine minutes with the Warriors late in 2011-12, but didn't make it back last year. Benson spent most…
Tim Abromaitis Abromaitis began his professional career this season in France, playing for perennial powerhouse ASVEL Villerbanne and averaging 8.1 points and 3.9 rebounds in 20 minutes per game. He shot his usual 41% from three point range, and didn't make many mistakes, yet nor did he (or…
Rasual Butler Butler returned to the D-League last season in an attempt to springboard himself back into the NBA. He played well, averaging 17.8 points and 5.1 rebounds for the Tulsa 66ers. However, aged 34, the once-good athleticism has largely gone, save for flashes. Butler would like to…
James Anderson Anderson landed an extended run with Houston last season, and, although the unguaranteed nature of his contract makes his position rather tenuous, he's done enough to merit the minimum. He could have a Danny Green -like role for someone if he can hone that jumper further.…
In light of one or both of these two being about to be traded, there exists a new realm of questions about this two unusual, nearly-novel deals. The questions surround what they're being paid, and what they're being charged to the salary cap. People don't know which set…
Several years ago, I wrote a piece called Creative Financing in the NBA , that sought to address and highlight a few quirky salaries and salaries mechanisms handed about that season. In that piece, I also spent a long time addressing the difference between team options and unguaranteed…
July 1st is (the date on which one season ends and the next one begins, and thus June 30th (and the week preceding it) is an important cut-off date for certain transactions. Players with player or early termination options had to decide if they were coming back; the…
It was actually three, but close enough. Looking to reinvent their point guard rotation, the Dallas Mavericks have looked to the overseas market, and will sign Israeli national team point guard Gal Mekel . Mekel has been named in NBA circles in recent times, as he has participated…
After going undrafted out of Creighton in 2007, Anthony Tolliver played in summer league for the Miami Heat , and was granted the honour of being the 16th overall pick in the 2007 Continental Basketball Association draft. These things eventually parlayed themselves into a training camp contract with…
All salary information is taken from this website's own salary pages . All figures taken from the day of publication - if subsequent trades/signings are made, then adjust accordingly. NOTE: All cap space amounts are calculated to an estimated salary cap of $58.5 million. This inexact figure is…
Every now and then, it's fun to comb through the list of recently retired players (almost, but not quite exclusively, NBA ones), and track down their current post-playing career whereabouts. The last such list was compiled two years ago and is rather out of date now, so here's…
K.C. Johnson reports that the Bulls, despite being a number four seed without having their MVP on the court, are sorely tempted to waive Nate Robinson . In one of the most unheralded high quality moves of the summer - unheralded because the dominant Bullsean narrative of the…
Even though he signed a one year minimum salary contract using the Minimum Salary Exception, Nazr Mohammed has a 15% trade kicker in his current contract. Trade kickers in contracts are somewhat rare. They are particularly rare in small contracts, as becomes obvious upon a study of the…
When the new maximum salary figures came in, Derrick Rose's 2012/13 maximum salary contract went from $15,506,632 to $16,402,500, an increase of as-near-as-is $900,000. Luol Deng's salary went down by $60,000, but that barely offsets the increases, and it's an increase that put the Bulls right up against…
Of the 30 first rounders drafted in June, 29 have signed their rookie scale contracts. There are to be no international draft-and-stashes in the first round this year; 29 are signed and ready to play in the NBA next year, while the other one should be. The 30th…
Omer Asik is now officially a Rocket, his offer sheet (identical to that of Jeremy Lin's ) going unmatched by Chicago. This gives Houston an absolute defensive wall at the centre position, someone who last year was one of the best defensive big men in the league. On…
......OK, now look. I have compiled a spreadsheet containing to-the-dollar information on all luxury tax paid to date. In the 11 seasons since the luxury tax was created, it has been applicable in nine seasons; in those nine seasons, 23 NBA franchises have paid over $850 million in…
Before the sign-and-trade of Ryan Anderson to New Orleans, Orlando had one TPE, totalling $4.25 million, created in the Glen Davis / Brandon Bass trade of last offseason. That $4.25 million TPE is set to expire on December 12th. Orlando used some of that TPE in the Anderson…
Whatever you may feel about Jeremy Pargo - personally, I'm quite shocked at how poor his rookie season was and firmly believe he could do considerably better given a faster paced team with better spacing - it is only important to know that in today's trade featuring him,…
Here is the official list of tax paying teams, and their amounts paid, in the 2011/12 NBA season. Los Angeles Lakers: $12,557,264. Boston Celtics: $7,365,867. Miami Heat: $6,129,340. Dallas Mavericks: $2,738,843. San Antonio Spurs: $2,514,275. Atlanta Hawks: $666,199. Total: $31,971,788 By opting to keep Jerry Stackhouse for the…
This post is essentially an addendum to this previous post. That post talked about an NBA contract that had accidentally been created and ratified in violation of a Collective Bargaining Agreement. Specifically, it talked about Zach Randolph and the Memphis Grizzlies. It appears now, however, that that is…