RDCLARKJR

Thanks hawksfanatic for clearing that up....... I swear that after reading that for myself and seeing how it's been debated here on pacersdigest, it's a different interpretation every hour........

Maybe I'm reading this wrong but it does seem like they can trade a player with this exception.....so with that in mind would either a player (Foster, Anthony Johnson or Sarunas), trade exception (7.5 million) and a 1st pick do the trick for this deal..... It was a subtle addendum to a major transaction that might come to be known as one of the shrewdest moves of the NBA offseason. Or maybe not. Either way, you can no longer say that the Indiana Pacers lost Ron Artest without compensation. When Peja Stojakovic reached a verbal agreement to sign with the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets on the first day of free agency earlier this month, it appeared the Pacers would get nothing back for Stojakovic, the longtime Larry Bird favorite they acquired from Sacramento in January's Artest trade. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/column...arc&id=2519835 Yet Indiana quietly salvaged something Wednesday -- the first day Stojakovic could officially join the Hornets -- that potentially carries big value. Stress potentially. By chipping in an undisclosed cash payment, Indiana convinced the Hornets to participate in a sign-and-trade for Stojakovic instead of just signing him away outright. So the Pacers sent Stojakovic and the cash to New Orleans/Oklahoma City for the rights to 1998 second-round pick Andy Betts, who likely will never play for Indiana, thus creating a $7.5 million trade exception that gives Indiana a new tool with which to complete a sign-and-trade with Atlanta for the player they most covet to replace Stojakovic: Al Harrington. Potentially. "It can be used in a lot of different ways, so we're very appreciative to have it," said Donnie Walsh, Indiana's CEO and mentor to Bird in the Pacers' front office. "You can become the focal point for a lot of trades with an exception [of this size]." Walsh made it clear that this exception by no means guarantees the capture of Harrington, knowing quite well that Indiana still must strike a sign-and-trade agreement with the Hawks to get him ... and that trade exceptions come with significant limitations. This exception, for starters, is useful in the Harrington chase only if Harrington agrees to a first-year salary in the $7.5 million range. That's because a trade exception doesn't equal salary-cap space, can only be used in trades and can't be treated as an asset to be packaged with another current Pacer to create a bigger opening than $7.5 million. Harrington is still holding out for a higher starting salary than that, according to NBA front-office sources, and the Pacers know that the Hawks have been swapping sign-and-trade proposals for days with the Golden State Warriors, as well. However... Simply having the trade exception, which remains valid for one calendar year, creates trade opportunities for Indiana that didn't exist as recently as Tuesday. One hypothetical scenario that would land Harrington back with the Pacers is Indiana sending a veteran to Atlanta in exchange for a newly signed Harrington, with the trade exception enabling the Pacers to acquire Harrington's higher salary. Pacers players who fall under the banner of available, according to NBA front-office sources, are big man Jeff Foster (who makes $5.5 million next season) and guards Anthony Johnson ($2.6 million) and Sarunas Jasikevicius ($4 million). Harrington himself has repeatedly described Indiana and Golden State as his top two free-agent destinations. Yet unless Harrington was willing to sign for the $5.2 million mid-level exception -- and he's obviously not -- a sign-and-trade is required to get him to either team, since neither has cap space to offer him. The sign-and-trade can take the form of a multi-team deal, with Milwaukee ranking as the most likely third trade partner because of Atlanta's interest in Bucks center Jamaal Magloire. Yet it remains to be seen which of Harrington's two primary suitors, Indiana or Golden State, is best positioned to complete the transaction. The Pacers, especially now that they're armed with the exception, appear more capable of constructing trade scenarios that put the least long-term financial strain on any other team involved. The Warriors' primary asset to offer in a Harrington exchange is power forward Troy Murphy, who ranks as one of the league's few consistent double-double men -- having averaged 13.6 points and 10.3 rebounds in his past three full seasons -- but who also carries a contract with five years and $51 million to run. The Hornets, according to NBA front-office sources, would have been reluctant to participate in a sign-and-trade for Stojakovic had they been signing him away from another Western Conference team. But helping the Pacers create a trade exception, if Indiana indeed lands Harrington, could come with the bonus of hurting the Warriors, who, like New Orleans/Oklahoma City, are trying to make the leap into the West's top eight. Harrington told ESPN.com earlier this week that the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers have also tried to present Atlanta with workable sign-and-trade offers. But Harrington says he expects to end up with the Pacers or Warriors. Indiana drafted Harrington out of high school in 1998 and wants to reunite him with close friend Jermaine O'Neal and second-year swingman Danny Granger on a new-look, highly athletic front line. Golden State, though, is just as interested, with another former teammate (Warriors vice president Chris Mullin) and two current Warriors (Baron Davis and Jason Richardson) lobbying Harrington hard on a switch to a new conference. "Obviously, Indiana, I'm more comfortable there because I've been there, I've been in the East," said Harrington, whose parents still live in Indianapolis. "But Golden State, I like the team they've got. I like it a lot. "Going into free agency, obviously you think, I'm going to be at the bottom of the screen [on ESPN's Bottom Line ticker] like Ben Wallace and the rest of the guys. But everyone's telling me to be patient, so that's what I'm trying to do." If the Hawks decide they like Indiana's trade offer best -- Foster and a future draft pick, for example -- Harrington might have no better option than a deal starting in that $7.5 million range, which would still be worth nearly $57 million over six seasons. Yet all is not lost for Indiana if Harrington goes elsewhere and the exception goes unused this offseason. The Pacers would still have use of the exception through July 11, 2007, setting them up to perhaps pluck an extra asset or two as part of a multi-team deal or by trading draft picks and/or cash for a quality veteran in a standard two-team deal. Artest, incidentally, told ESPN.com last week that the Pacers could survive Stojakovic's departure no matter what moves they made in response. "They didn't get stuck without nothing," Artest said. "Danny Granger is a really good player. Really good. He will fill the void. Definitely." The safer word, of course, is potentially. Marc Stein is the senior NBA writer for ESPN.com. To e-mail him, click here.

The best thing ML Carr has done in his NBA career (executive,coach, player) is wave a towel while watching the real players do the work........ It's downright sickening to know that it's a possibility he could be here....

The whole process (Mullin on the radio) said is supposed to take 18 - 24 months, but as far as the free agent/contract stipulation (one year contracts only) will be changed relatively soon b/c it's been rumored (by Bernie Mullin as well) that neither leauge is happy about that..... Hopefully that'll be changed soon.....

I don't either....doesn't he have to get 75% of the leauge to vote him in?????

Absolutely.....most players would've had they track shoes on trying to get away from that place...... Now, relating to the Hawks, with Pryz and Mohammed coming off the FA list and the list as far as quality big men dwindiling, are we in the drivers seat as far as Al Harrington and a S&T goes?

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2509340 One more top free-agent is off the market: Joel Przybilla has decided to stay with the Portland Trail Blazers. Joel Przybilla Center Portland Trail Blazers Profile 2006 SEASON STATISTICS GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT% 56 6.1 7.0 0.8 .548 .532 Przybilla's agent, Bill Duffy, told ESPN.com that the 26-year-old has verbally agreed to sign a five-year deal with the Blazers believed to be worth more than $30 million. Przybilla also had strong interest in Chicago, but the Bulls landed the No. 1 center available when they agreed to a four-year deal Monday with Detroit's Ben Wallace worth an estimated $60 million. The Pistons, in turn, reached a verbal agreement Tuesday with San Antonio free-agent center Nazr Mohammed, but Przybilla -- who drew feelers from the Spurs and a handful of other clubs -- chose to stay where he is. "Joel said all along that loyalty is important to him," Duffy said. "It means a lot to him that Portland gave him a chance two years ago when no one else did. His relationship with the Blazers and [general manager] Kevin Pritchard were very important factors." That was certainly unexpected.......

Now I do agree with that. If we DON'T get anything for Al, then I would begin to think he' needs to go as well.....

It's amazing his bias towards this organization and in particular Billy Knight. He's able to point out some bad/questionable things but not objectively point out the good as well... Joe Johnson has played great BUT......we overpaid for him....(When your team wins 13 games, were you expecting Joe to take a hometown discount?) They gave up Boris Diaw in the deal....(Did Boris do ANYTHING when he was here? Doesn't playing with Steve Nash make a difference??) They passed on Chris Paul......(ARE WE THE ONLY ONES THAT DID???? *I think the Jazz passed and chose another point guard instead, in spite of the fact that his shooting is suspect!!!!) They didn't get a center.....(Would you be happier with having Eddy Curry averaging 5 rebounds a game in the paint despite being 7 feet and close to 300 pounds?? Or how bout Jerome "I haven't met a buffet I didn't like" James at a 6 mil a year clip???? You'd think Billy Knight did something with his wife.....Also... Can somebody explain to me what legendary blunders Knight has made? Can someone explain how not trading Harrington at the deadline is a mistake? (Consider the fact the best offer out there reportedly was Harrington for Micheal Sweetney.....)

The one thing everyone is missing is, that even if New York finishes behind us in the 3rd spot that pick isn't theirs. It is Chicago's pick because they traded to get Eddy Curry.......... The brilliant Isiah Thomas at work again....

I might try and make it out there.....I went to the thing last year at Phillips (it was right before a Falcons game) and got autographs and watch the team.......it's a really good experience.....

http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/h...05/14hawks.html

Indeed you are the only one....... (shhhh......don't say that too loudly either....)

Joe Johnson's long-anticipated move from the Phoenix Suns to the Atlanta Hawks moved a significant step closer to completion Friday when a Boston judge reversed a ruling that had given Hawks part-owner Steve Belkin hope of blocking the sign-and-trade arrangement. Johnson, in fact, traveled to Atlanta on Thursday night in anticipation of finally joining the Hawks, sources close to the situation told ESPN.com. After urging the Suns to let him go, the restricted free agent has been poised for nearly two weeks to sign a five-year, $70 million contract with an up-front payment of $20 million and then leave Phoenix for Atlanta in a swap sending Boris Diaw and two future first-round picks to the desert. Formal completion of the trade, though, remains on hold until next week. Suffolk County (Mass.) Superior Court judge Allan van Gestel on Friday dissolved a temporary injuction he had granted Belkin on Tuesday, after receiving an affidavit from NBA commissioner David Stern supporting a request from the Hawks' ownership board to remove Belkin as the team's representative on the NBA Board of Governors. Yet as part of Friday's ruling, van Gestel also decreed that the Hawks' ownership board "now must comply strictly with the requirements" specified in the club's partnership agreement "to complete Belkin's removal" as team governor. Those steps include providing written notice to Belkin of his "removable act" -- specifically Belkin's directive to the NBA last week not to proceed with the Johnson trade -- and giving him five business days to rescind that act. It was not immediately clear if Belkin can now preserve his governor status by notifying the league office to go ahead with the Johnson trade, or if the Hawks will be able to complete their plans to strip Belkin of his governor status. The other two parties in the Hawks' three-headed ownership triangle -- one in Atlanta and another in Washington -- want to replace Belkin as governor with Atlanta-based Michael Gearon Jr. The Hawks' ownership agreement states that the groups from Atlanta and Washington and the Boston-based Belkin each hold one equal vote on club matters. Two-thirds of the Hawks' power structure backed the Johnson trade from the start. NBA rules, however, dictate that every team -- no matter how many owners it has -- must designate one representative to notify the league on player transactions. That representative is typically the team governor. Belkin, who possesses a 30-percent stake in the franchise, refused to approve the trade, saying the Hawks were giving up too much for Johnson by including the draft picks. Belkin's partners have maintained that his refusal to advise the league office that Atlanta was prepared to complete the trade last Tuesday was an action taken against the majority's wishes and thus grounds for removal. Amid the ongoing uncertainty regarding Belkin's status, Atlanta management was tight-lipped after van Gestel's ruling. What the Hawks were prepared to acknowledge in a team statement Friday evening is that they "look forward to Joe Johnson becoming a member of the Hawks in the very near future." Ultimately landing Johnson will be a huge catch for Hawks general manager Billy Knight, who has struggled since last summer to convert his considerable salary-cap space into a marquee acquisition. Having whiffed a year ago in its attempts to score free agents such as Kenyon Martin and Erick Dampier, Atlanta has been quietly optimistic for weeks that it would be able to import Johnson as a point guard to team with its cadre of young swingmen: Al Harrington, Josh Childress, Josh Smith and Marvin Williams, selected No. 2 overall in the June draft. "I love the [point guard] idea," Johnson told ESPN.com last month, during an interview in which he revealed his desire to leave the Suns after a breakthrough season for the 24-year-old and the team. "I'd love that, having the ball in my hands," Johnson said. "I think I'm a great shooter, but that's where I think I'm most effective, making decisions." Losing Johnson is an undeniable blow for the Suns, who have long considered the versatile swingman no less critical to last season's overwhelming success than any of their three All-Stars: Amare Stoudemire, Shawn Marion and Steve Nash. Next to Nash, the league's reigning MVP, Johnson was the only other dependable playmaker on a 62-win team and shot a deadly 47.8 percent from 3-point range. The Suns, though, will create a valuable $4.9 million trade exception as part of this sign-and-trade arrangement to help in their pursuit of a Johnson replacement. They also still hope to have a shot at signing former Phoenix draftee Michael Finley, who will be released Monday under the league's new "amnesty clause" by the Dallas Mavericks unless the Mavericks can trade Finley before Monday's amnesty deadline. Although it would face stiff competition from Miami, Detroit and San Antonio if Finley is waived, Plan A for Phoenix is setting up a four-man platoon (Finley, Diaw, Jim Jackson and the recently signed Raja Bell) to fill the void left by Johnson, whose desire to leave Phoenix stems in part from his wish to have a bigger role than he had with the star-laden Suns.

That's good to hear, that Tyron is staying....(Especially when he could've been starting with LA or left for a better situation...) Chillz, Is another one of those moves is the forever rumored Al Harrington to Chicago for Ed Curry deal? (sign and trade)