Amnesty Clause: Who Said the Players Didn't Win?

The NBA season has been back for a month already and it seems the lockout is an after-thought.  Well, almost but when you really look at it, the players gave the owners one last "middle finger": The Amnesty Clause.  This clause, that owners saw as a "get out of jail free" card actually is for the players benefit.  Yet another example of how the owners lockout backfiring.  Free agents still will go to the big cities and collect big paychecks.  Players will take $80 million to play in Chicago, LA and New York over $85 million to play in Cleveland, Memphis and Milwaukee.  The amnesty clause is only allowed to be used on players with signed contracts under to previous CBA.  Teams that pick up amnestied players will pay a portion of that players salary.  The Clippers will pay about $2 million of the $10 million he is owed for this season.  Players like Gilbert Arenas, who will still get his $19 million salary for this shortened season.  If a team should sign Arenas, the Knicks will still have to pay out the remainder of his contract for a total of $62.4 million over 3 years.

I can see folks rolling their eyes when I mentioned Arenas but had stupidity and injury not intervened, Arenas would be playing right now.  Arenas wasn't a player who would lead your team to a championship but he could sell tickets.  Arenas was fun to watch but knee injuries and being a poor team mate changed all that.  Arenas had the potential to be mentioned in the same sentences as Kobe and LeBron but he allowed his own stupidity to get in the way.  The amount of money owed to Arenas and his diminished skills are the reasons he still isn't with a team. So I would tell Arenas to be happy and don't spend it all in one place.  Let's see if in 5 or 6 years, if he will be filing for bankruptcy.  I hope not but stupid is as stupid does.

In looking at what the Knicks look like right now, I have only one question: If Baron Davis is the answer to the Knicks problems, then why did you amnesty Chauncey Billups?  Even if you didn't like Billups, he was better then Toney Douglas.  Health wise, Billups is better the Baron Davis too.  Just ask the Clippers how good Billups still is.  PG is a problem for the Knicks but actually playing defense is the main problem.  So the Knicks amnesty Billups at $10 million this season and will wait to see if Baron Davis, owed $29 million over the next two season, will return to his Golden State days.  The good thing for the Knicks is they will pay Davis only $1.3 million and the Cavs are responsible for the rest.  I guess numbers and common sense do work at the same time in New York or maybe just not at Madison Square Garden.  The Knicks are proclaiming that they are threats to come out of the east.  Good luck with that New York.

The bottom line here is amnestied players still have to be paid.  While Orlando using the clause on Arenas was a good move, they did nothing with the $19 million they saved against the salary cap.  No wonder Dwight Howard wants out.  What the Knicks are doing, or not doing, is mind blowing.  There was no reason to get rid of Billups, none.  Regardless of whatever "reason" the Knicks front office may give, CP3 wasn't walking through that door.  There were no other PGs available except for New Jersey's Williams but the Nets don't  want who the Knicks could send them for Deron Williams.  If the Nets want to make a splash when the team moves to Brooklyn next season, then anything less then Carmelo Anthony is a waste of time.  It seems New York forgot its a big market team or they must enjoy being the doormat to the East Champions.

D!