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If you were the general manager or owner of the New York Knickerbockers and you had the chance to cut a veteran player who's best days are behind him, what would you do? Apparently you decide to keep him. James Dolan, the chairman of The Garden stepped in and chose not to use the NBA's one-time exemption on Allan Houston. The exemption allows a team to waive a player and not pay the luxury tax on their contract. Houston, who played a mere 20 games last season, is due $40 million in the remaining two years of his contract. Instead of trimming the fat of Houston's contract, Isiah Thomas decided to cut Jerome Williams and the $21.3 million he is due over 3 years.
True, the Knicks have too many "power" forwards, but how much hope is there that Houston will return to the Knicks. And if he does, will it be the Houston of old or even worth $20 million a year? Probably not. Besides, if you've got an exception that seems tailor-made for your player, why not go ahead and use it? Then again, when was the last time the Knickerbockers did something that made sense?
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what the fuck! alright even though allan houston is the best player on the knicks even with all the injuries his contract is just so motherfucking big it's insane to keep him. james dolan is a fucking asshole to the 9th degree! the dude doesn't care if we win a championship as long as the seats are filled til the first round of the playoffs. The knicks suck so much and yet people still pay top dollar for the tickets so he doesn't give a fuck. I can't wait for the broolyn nets. It's like the knicks consciously sabotage themselves. Have they even ever used a draft choice wisely? they never even play the people they draft. Knicks are almost dead to me. the only way they can salvage it is if they trade stephon marbury for lebron, garnett, or tmac
Why are people so concerned with Dolan's bank account? All that cutting a player with the amnesty provision does is remove the contract for the purpose of paying the LUXURY TAX. It is still on the books for the salary cap. Therefore, cutting Houston would not help the team in any way. It would only save Dolan more money. Oh yeah, Houston would also be able to sign with any other team so if he could get healthy, cutting him actually hurts the Knicks.
jimmy dolan is a crack addict and a criminal! he knows nothing about basketball and Isaiah and larry should hang him from the rafters for blowing this one!
now it's hard to actually blame houston for not retiring; he should take whatever money they're willing to give him, but he has no fucking shame either. he's washed up and has been for 3 years, besides being soft when he wasn't hurt.
i'm so glad i cancelled my season tickets after the msg led battle against their monopoly on the west side. i hope they finish last and keep blowing lottery picks well into my retirement. until the dolans are run out of town nyc doesn't deserve an nba team.
sell the team - sell the team - sell the team!!!!
Word on the street is if Houston can't go this season, then he will retire. If he does, the Doloan will save much more because insurance will pay something like 80% of Houston's salary and his numbers will eventually come off the cap.
Yep, since insurance will cover most of Houston's remaining pay (probably), it would've been silly to use the amnesty on him and be on the hook.
But Jerome Williams? His salary is relatively reasonable, especially when Malik Rose's contract runs into the next century.
word on the street is that Houston is pulling a fast one on all of us...
"Just because I haven't been playing for a while does not mean my career is over, in my mind," he said yesterday.
"I just don't have it in my mind that I'm not going to be able to come back, honestly," he said.
Earlier in the day, in a radio interview with ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, the religiously devout Houston said he had been doing "a lot of praying" and concluded, "I think that God really wants me to be back."