Grrrrrr. Sekou: On Speedy.

[Johann]

I haven't seen the C's this year, but based on his college production, I imagine Rondo is a defensive force in the backcourt.

[exodus]

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I'm not a doctor, but I did stay at a Hol. Inn Express,

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LOL

Thanks for the info.

[Plainview1981]

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Medical information is confidential. It can't be disclosed without the patient's consent. The team is entitled to know it, but they can not reveal a word of it without authorization from the patient. At this point, Speedy no doubt has no interest in having his medical condition revealed to the press and public; he is laying as low as he can and does not want to discuss it. No one who has never experienced having their personal matters debated in public and on the airwaves can know how unpleasant that is.

I'm not a doctor, but I did stay at a Hol. Inn Express, so here is the lowdown on Speedy's condition:

Speedy now listens only to the Orthopod in Vancouver, or wherever that was, who properly diagnosed and surgically repaired his knee this offseason. When the other knee became inflamed a few weeks ago, Speedy went back to him. He told S. that there are only 2 alternatives: rest (and hope) and surgery. Surgery might well end his season. So he is going to try rest, probably for about 6 to 8 weeks, and then gradually try to work himself back. If that doesnt' work, he'll have the surgery and we'll see him next year.

The players said it was obvious Speedy had worked hard this offseason, and he was in great shape and really impressive on the court at the beginning of camp. I personally have no reason to see him as a slacker. He's had a frustrating experience, with big setbacks, a la Mike Hampton (who is really eating up some salary). He's universally vilified for it, unlike Mike. Don't expect him to supply the frenzy with any more fresh meat in the form of current medical information anytime soon.

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It's Billy Knight fault for giving him that contract and more or less setting him up for life.

[mrhonline]

Vermin, do you think there will be a point in the next three seasons where Claxton can play 20+ minutes/game for an extended period of time (i.e., a 20-game stretch)?

If not, wouldn't you think retirement makes more sense? I don't know anything about his personal life, but he probably has a wife and children, so I'd imagine being home with them would be a terrific alternative.

I could understand all the work if he thought he was going to be able to get back close to 100%, but has there been any real indication of that? If this problem is chronic, and it sure sounds like it is, I'd take the money and start working on a coaching career.

But that's just me.

[DJlaysitup]

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Vermin, do you think there will be a point in the next three seasons where Claxton can play 20+ minutes/game for an extended period of time (i.e., a 20-game stretch)?

If not, wouldn't you think retirement makes more sense?...

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I would think the thing that makes the most sense for Speedy at this stage is to continue cashing those checks (and to save as much as he can)...

[Johann]

I don't know him personally. But his motivation is to get back out on the court.

Look at Penny, Reggie, Scottie Pippin, etc. Staying home with the fam is great for a few weeks. But...

[mrhonline]

Players can still get paid even if they retire. Everyone should read this, so they can see why I'd be pushing retirement if I was GM:

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53. How do retired players count against the cap?

Any money paid to a player is included in team salary, even if the player has retired

. For example, James Worthy retired in 1994, two years before his contract ended. He continued to receive his salary for the 1994-95 and 1995-96 seasons, so his salary was included in the Lakers' team salary in those seasons.

It is at the team's discretion (or as the result of an agreement between the team and player) whether to continue to pay the player after he has retired.

There is one exception whereby a player can continue to receive his salary, but the salary is not included in the team's team salary.

This is when a player is forced to retire

for medical reasons

and

a league-appointed physician

confirms that he is medically unfit to continue playing. There is

a waiting period of one year following the injury or illness before a team can apply for this salary cap relief

. If the waiting period expires mid-season (on any date prior to the last day of the regular season), then the player's entire salary for that season is removed from the team's team salary. For example, in March 2003 the Knicks were allowed to remove Luc Longley's entire 2002-03 salary from their books (and since the luxury tax is based on the team salary as of the last day of the regular season, the Knicks avoided paying any tax on Longley's salary). This provision can also be used when a player dies while under contract.

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Larry Coon's FAQ

The Hawks can agree to pay Claxton the full (or close to the full) amount of his deal if he retires, assuming the insurance covers the 80% or whatever it is they usually cover.

Claxton gets his money and his knees get the rest they need. The Hawks save money, gain a roster spot, and salary cap relief for at least the final year of the deal. The cap relief could be important because Marvin and Zaza both will need to be re-signed that summer.

I'm not sure how the preseason games work, but since Speedy's last regular season game was March 3rd of last year, the Hawks might be able to get his salary off the books at the end of this season. I believe that they would have to prove that the same injury kept him out of reg. season games since then, but that is a possibility.

In short:

1. Claxton decides to retire.

2. The NBA's physician agrees that Speedy is medically unfit to play.

3. The insurance picks up a significant portion of the remaining contract, and the Hawks agree to pay most of whatever is left. (~$1M per season, if the 80% figure is accurate).

4. The Hawks get either the final season or the final two seasons of his contract off the salary cap.

[mrhonline]

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I don't know him personally. But his motivation is to get back out on the court.

Look at Penny, Reggie, Scottie Pippin, etc. Staying home with the fam is great for a few weeks. But...

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Most players retire because they are simply too old to compete in the NBA. But there have been plenty of players who retire because of chronic injuries.

The "game" is great, but if playing it causes you the kind of pain and discomfort that Claxton is clearly feeling, you have to start considering retirement.

This isn't "The Natural." It's real life, and this is his health were talking about.

[Swatguy]

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That freaking sucks if it happens. We need to seriously include this guy in some type of trade. If we do a S&T with Childress in the offseason speedy definitely needs to be included. Speedy is stealing money from this organization. He has no heart or mental toughness.

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Really ? Maybe he is actually Hurt.

[Swatguy]

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It's Billy Knight fault for giving him that contract and more or less setting him up for life.

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It was a gamble and not a bad thing. Craig is blessed. The Hawks should continue tosupport him in his recovery.

Are you jealous?

[DJlaysitup]

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Players can still get paid even if they retire. Everyone should read this, so they can see why I'd be pushing retirement...

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Didn't realize that. That being the case, I totally agree with you.

[cowa]

Not sure about back-dating the proposed date to the last game he played. The only reason I say this is because it's his other knee now that hurts. I realize it was the last game he played (I don't think pre-season games would count), but if the doctor had cleared him to play as of a certain date, I would think that would wipe out that scenario, and would start tracking from when he got hurt this latest time.

But I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express, so I really am just guessing.

[Dragitoff]

what I've seen of Rondo (albeit limited) has been pretty good defensively. What I was saying, if we get Garnett into foul trouble, they have no real defensive presence down low. That's where we can take advantage. Garnett's equally effective at drawing double teams and kicking back out to wide open Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. If he's out of the game, they have no other post presence either thus causing them to create their own shots which they're not as good at. KG is the key to tonight's game IMO.

[mrhonline]

Yeah, I've wondered about the "other knee" issue. Technicalities that are beyond the scope of our knowledge...

[DJlaysitup]

This would be a great game to have a healthy Speedy to go after Rondo with. Speedy likely give Rondo fits if he were at full speed...alas.

[Plainview1981]

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It's Billy Knight fault for giving him that contract and more or less setting him up for life.

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It was a gamble and not a bad thing. Craig is blessed. The Hawks should continue tosupport him in his recovery.

Are you jealous?

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It was a bad choice. I was hoping for Tinsley at the time. He isn't great, but he'd be on the court right now and he's better than what the hawks currently have.

Speedy was a journeyman before the Hawks signed him. No reason to believe he could be a starting PG anyway.

[tmac13]

The question that would be bothering me if I was BK is how do 2 chronically bad kness get by your team doctors during the physical? These problems had to pre-exist his short time with the Hawks. We all knew he had past knee issues but nothing near the point that he may never play again.