The As to the Qs, part two

I had the notion for a really good play for Lebron. Maybe you can pass it on to Mike Brown and the boys. See if they can utilize it for this year. Picture this. Gibson at point. Lebron playing 2 or 3. Gibson brings the ball down to either wing. Lebron runs off of a screen in the paint to curl onto the block or the elbow. Lebron is now isolated with Gibson with the ball. 2 man game just like the Lakers did when Kareem was hurt in the Finals and Magic played center. He scored 42 with this play. Gibson passes Lebron the ball. THE OTHER 3 PLAY GARBAGE MEN AND COAST TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COURT. Lebron, in isolation has several choices. He can keep his back to the defender and look for passing lanes as 1 of the GARBAGE MEN cut to the basket. Or he can swing and face up on his man. 1 dribble and a step and he can explode to the basket or shoot the short J. He can drive and dish to 1 of the set up GARBAGE MEN or Gibson for a 3. The possibilities could be endless with this play. Old school basketball. Lebron goes to the line about 5-10 times a game.

Well, first off, I think you’d have trouble telling the other guys they were garbage men. Second, the Cavs do run this play. And about 90 percent of the time, LeBron doesn’t establish post position and floats out near the 3-point line to receive the “entry” pass, then turns and starts dribbling.

If I had an idea for an Cavaliers/NBA product should I get it patented before I present it to the team/NBA? I think I have something good that will definitely boost season/package ticket sales.

That or e-mail Dan Gilbert at greatideas@cavs.com, he might buy it off you. Last year he bought the Flashseats idea off a couple of guys from the east suburbs.

Could you break down the Salary cap structure real easily for me? I have a hard time explaining it to my buddies, as I swirl around in monstruos NBA-linguistic terms that don’t make sense for them. The Bird clause, trade kicker, mid level exception – those kind of things need a good explaining.

Well, the cap isn’t really easy but here goes. The NBA has a so-called soft salary cap, which means it can be exceeded. It can be exceeded, however, under five so-called “exceptions.” They are the “Bird” exception, the mid-level exception, the bi-annual exception, an injury exception and a trade exception.

The most important is the “Bird” exception, named for Larry Bird when he was with the Celtics. If a player has been under one contract for at least three years, the team who has the expiring contract — aka “Bird rights” — may go over the salary cap and pay the player up to the maximum contract. If a player has been signed for two years, teams have what is called “early Bird” rights. They can exceed the salary cap up to the average player’s salary, which is about $5 million right now. The Cavs will have early Bird rights to Daniel Gibson next summer.

The mid-level exception changes every year and can be used to sign one or more free agents. This year it is $5.3 million. All teams over the salary cap, or within $5.3 million of the cap, get the exception. The bi-annual exception must go to one player and can only be used every other year. This year it is worth $1.8 million and the Cavs can use it. These contracts can only be for two years. Trade exceptions are created when trades are unbalanced within the trade rules. Say a player making $10 million gets traded for a player making $7.5 million (which is legal) the team who got the $7.5 million player gets a $2.5 million trade exception. It can be used by itself in another trade. Sometimes teams can just trade salary-cap space for players, creating large exceptions. This is what the Charlotte Bobcats and Orlando Magic did this summer. When a player gets injured and is out for the year, teams can apply to the league for injured player exceptions, which can be used like trade exceptions but can be combined with players. The Milwaukee Bucks used an injured player exception (for Bobby Simmons) to get Earl Boykins last season.

And finally, a trade kicker is a clause in a player’s contract that provides a bonus if he’s traded. The most it can be for is 15 percent. Eric Snow had a trade kicker in his contract, he got a 15 percent raise when coming to Cleveland. Deep breath.

I have a question on exactly how much owners are dishing out for their respective teams. I realize that to buy a team costs an incredible amount of money, but where does that money go? (I’m guessing it’s to the previous owner, but I’m not positive). And once an owner actually purchases a team, do they invest any more money in player salaries, etc.? What exactly is the owner’s role financially after purchasing a team?

The money goes to the old owner in full or in pieces, depending on the agreement. Most of the time these days, people barrow heavily to buy the team and then service the debt while the equity grows. Just like an interest-only mortgage, eh, Mr. Gilbert? But the NBA requires a significant percentage of cash be brought to the table as well. Then, yes, they must pay for everything including player salaries, etc., etc. Often the operating money for the team comes from the arena, which most teams get the revenue from. The Cavs lost money for years, but the Gund Arena Company made money on concerts and other events. The lease Gilbert got when he bought the Cavs is as valuable as owning the arena outright. Teams without arena deals just don’t sell, which is why the Philadelphia 76ers and Portland Trail Blazers couldn’t sell last year. Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen has since bought the arena, no word on whether Philly owner Comcast would be willing to give up control of the Wachovia Center, before they were not and therefore the Sixers did not sell and were taken off the market.

Brian, we were seeing major trades for the last ten years because of all of the salary issues. Why have all of these trades dried up? The Ray Allen deal was really the only one the last year. Could the Cavs make a major deal before February 2008?

Well there were no big trades during the season, but since the season ended three players with max contracts — Zach Randolph, Steve Francis and Ray Allen — have been traded. I think this is pretty active on the blockbuster front. Yes, I believe the Cavs will make a major deal in the coming months. But it is still playing out. Right now there are rumors Kevin Garnett and his $23 million contract and $6.7 million trade kicker are getting traded to Boston.

Tell Dan Fegan that the market is way too full next year just sign Anderson Varejao to a 3 year 18 million dollar deal and go for the big money in 3 years.

Mr. Fegan knows the market. His style and history, though, is to get a big deal for his clients and get a big deal now. He’ll continue to pursue this avenue.

What’s the status on Boykins? I know he’s a shoot first point guard, but look at Hughes. I mean is Boykins defense really that bad?

I like Earl and I like what he can bring to a game. The Cavs don’t think he’s a great fit perhaps due to defense, but that could change if he doesn’t have a team in six weeks.

Wondering whether LeBron prefers Pepsi or Coke and his favorite tv shows

LeBron has a $12 million deal with Coca-Cola to promote Sprite and Powerade. He is a big fan of Sopranos but also likes cartoons.

That’s all for the moment, be back later.