Eric Piatkowski

Eric Piatkowski - After briefly working as an analyst for Nebraska games, Piatkowski has vanished from the public life.

Eric Piatkowski - Eric Piatkowski does colour analysis for Nebraska games on Fox Sports Midwest.

Young players don't usually sign one year minimum salary deals. Veterans almost always do, because teams have financial incentive to do so. Teams who sign players with more than two years of experience to sign one year minimum salary deals are billed only the amount of a two year veteran; for example, when Chicago signed Lindsey Hunter to a one year minimum salary deal this past offseason, they were billed only $825,497 for his services. The minimum salary for a ten year or more veteran is actually $1,306,455, and Hunter got all that; however, only $825,497 is charged to the Bulls cap, and the league refunds the difference between the two sums to the Bulls during the following offseason. This is why most old farts only sign one year minimum deals, and, on the rare occasions that they don't - Eric Piatkowski with Phoenix, Devin Brown with Nawlins, Calvin Booth with Philadelphia - it's usually a mistake.

- Eric Piatkowski

Pike spent his last two years playing for the Suns on a minimum salary contract, but that ran out in summer 2008, and another one was not forthcoming. He is now retired and a stay-at-home dad.

Pike was recently interviewed during the second quarter of a dull Knicks vs Clippers game, as he was in town taking his children to Disneyland and decided to watch the Clippers lose for old time's sake. (They ruined the day by winning.) The reporter whose name I forgot asked Pike a variety of lead-in questions such as "what do you think about Rasual Butler's jumpshot?". Pike tried to play along, but had to be candid about the fact that he hasn't watched NBA basketball since he fell out of the league. So it's been a clean break from basketball for him.