Catapult

Team by team analysis of lux tax situation, free agents & signings and profitability. http://www.realgm.com/src_feature_article.php?articleid=8 "Thus, for a team right at the luxury tax threshold, it costs them $15 to $17 million to add a player for $3.5 million" how can that be? go and figure it out. Very interesting article! i hope the link works.

(Don't know if you're interested...) Finnish TV reports that Hanno has been training with Miami for 6 weeks and will play in the summer league for Heat. He says he has gained strength (about 10 kg) and he feels very comfortable with his 3pt shot.

Europe (even the former Yugoslavia) is not China. wake up please. If (this is just hypothetical) let's say Real Madrid would offer Reef twice what he makes now and he would be willing to play in Spain - would the Hawks let him walk out of his contract? Not to say that it is a bit unfair to make such a long contract with a player in Darko's age.

What i have red from RealGM posters is that the cap is a "soft cap" ie they can over the cap in the expansion draft, but then they couldn't sign free agents afterwards.

Regarding the ownership talk: Are there any franchises that have gone public? Many european football (soccer) clubs are listed in stock exchange are there any in US?

Versace knew of Griz's fate early on By Ronald Tillery tillery@gomemphis.com May 23, 2003 SECAUCUS, N.J. - No one suffered more than Grizzlies general manager [censored] Versace. A rule of the NBA draft lottery states that teams must send two representatives - someone to sit on stage and another person to watch the closed-doors proceedings. Versace sat in that locked room for nearly 90 minutes. He knew the lottery results in 180 seconds. Because the draft lottery is held to determine the top three picks, the Ping Pong balls began bouncing as soon as each team was accounted for. Three minutes later, Versace knew of the agony that Griz president of basketball operations Jerry West would go through. The four-number combination drawn for the No. 1 pick read: 6-2-3-12. Those numbers belonged to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The next four balls popped up for the Grizzlies about a minute later, and Versace became somber. "I felt bad for Jerry because he was going to have to go through this excruciating process," Versace said. Once the lottery balls were placed in the drums, they rolled around for 10 seconds. It took five seconds for each ball to emerge. ----------------------------------------------------------- How much does luck factor in? When the balls were drawn for the No. 2 pick, the first three numbers also matched an Atlanta combination. The fourth ball is what gave the Grizzlies the second pick. ----------------------------------------------------------- "It was not pleasant," Versace said. Versace sat sequestered without access to a cell phone or any messaging devices. The NBA confiscates items that could be used to contact anyone outside the room. Now Versace wonders if it's time to end his lottery appearances. This was the fourth year he sat in on the proceedings for the Grizzlies. The team hasn't won the No. 1 pick in nine tries. - Ronald Tillery: 529-2353

To answer your question about the # of PingPong balls; They are not relative to record, but seeding. It doesn't matter whether you are 0-82 or 20-62, if you are worst you get the biggest number of "balls". Hawks will most likely have a 2,9% chance for #1 pick. There is a fun lottery generator in espn.com FYI Memphis is the only team with the possibility to get both 1st and 2nd pick. Probability is something like 0,03%...

He has left the Tau Vitoria team in Spain. The team claimed he was healthy and Hanno claimed he had an injury and as they weren't too happy with Hanno's accomplishments he was released. In Finland, examination revealed that there was a minor fracture in his ankle. Hanno said that Tau was the first bad team experience of his career and has complimented both Utah (college) and Atlanta (nba) as excellent organizations to play for. He has been working with weights and with his shot and will try to make a comeback to NBA through summer camps, if nobody (in NBA) wants to sign him before trading deadline. Catapult

It's been discussed in the League's board. I guess it proved to be impossible to get a new draft time. Catapult

Just to remind all that this league is still available with somewhat different settings than the other league. Catapult

...though a good one from Hanno. In the first 3 games in the spanish league Hanno is averaging 5.7 points, 4.3 boards and 4.3 fouls in 18 minutes. Which are quite close to his figures with Hawks. So there is no need to a) think Hanno has established himself as a star in Europe b) make any conclusions of the competition in Europe because of one game. That's not to say i wouldn't like to see him succeed or that spanish league is at the same level as NBA. Shame that he didn,t have any of "those nights" with the Hawks... Catapult