BAMAPHIN 22
FinHeaven Elite
One week ago, Cuban posted a rather extensive missive on the thinking behind cutting veteran Michael Finley with the NBA's newly instated amnesty clause. Though the Mavs still have to pay Finley's salary, which also counts against the salary cap, they'll save nearly $52 million in luxury taxes. According to Cuban, the cut could go a long way towards saving the team a total of $90 million.
That's about the only reason a team would dump Finley. He's a two-time All-Star who was traded to a pitiful (both on and off the court) Mavericks team in December 1996. While Dallas spent four more seasons getting its act together, Finley was its rock -- leading the team in scoring while playing superior defense and showing a sense of composure and coolness that hadn't been seen in that city since the days of Tom Landry. Finley's interest in playing on both sides of the ball was made even more admirable by the minutes he logged on the court: 40-plus per game for four straight seasons, only falling short in 2001-02 when he averaged 39.9.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/writers/kelly_dwyer/08/23/inside.nba/index.html
That's about the only reason a team would dump Finley. He's a two-time All-Star who was traded to a pitiful (both on and off the court) Mavericks team in December 1996. While Dallas spent four more seasons getting its act together, Finley was its rock -- leading the team in scoring while playing superior defense and showing a sense of composure and coolness that hadn't been seen in that city since the days of Tom Landry. Finley's interest in playing on both sides of the ball was made even more admirable by the minutes he logged on the court: 40-plus per game for four straight seasons, only falling short in 2001-02 when he averaged 39.9.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/writers/kelly_dwyer/08/23/inside.nba/index.html