News from December 8.

The lockout has formally ended!  Both the NBA owners (25-5) and players
association (86% of over 200 players) voted on and approved the new
Collective Bargaining Agreement.  Training camps opened today (Dec. 9).
Teams could start (and have) signing free agents and rookies and make
trades starting today.  The preseason games (2 per team) start December 16
and the 2011-12 regular season starts December 25 (66 games).
Some of the highlights from the new CBA:
- it is a 10 year agreement, but either side can opt-out after 6 years
- the salary cap will be $58 million for 11-12 and 12-13 [same as 10-11]
- players will receive 51.15% of basketball related income in 11-12
(49-51% in later seasons) [was 57% in 10-11]
- an expanded revenue sharing plan, starting in 13-14
- teams can re-sign their own free agents to new contracts with a maximum
of 5 years and 7.5% increases [was 6 years, 10.5%]
- teams can sign other teams' free agents to new contracts with a maximum
of 4 years and 4.5% increases [was 5 years, 8%]
- sign-and-trade players are now limited to the maximum 4 years, 4.5%
increase contracts [was 6 years, 10.5%]
- the full mid-level exception is available only to teams under the luxury
tax, teams over the luxury tax have a mini mid-level exception; for 11-12 
the full mid-level is 4 years, $5 million, 4.5% increases and the mini
mid-level is 3 years, $3 million, 4.5% increases
- the luxury tax changes from a dollar-for-dollar fine for each dollar
over the tax to a stair-step system with a penalty increase for each $5
million over the tax threshold and an even larger fine for repeat
offenders (the old system remains for 11-12 and the new stair-step fine
will start with 12-13)
- teams can amnesty clause one (and only one) player which involves
releasing the player and that player's contract will no longer count
against the team's salary cap or luxury tax, the team still pays the
player the rest of the contract minus any amount the player gets signing
with a different team, the amnesty clause can be used prior to the start
of a season (not just 11-12, but only for pre 11-12 contracts) [note that
the previous amnesty clause from the summer of 2005 left the salary on the
cap, but it did not count against the then new luxury tax]
- for trades, teams under the luxury tax can receive no more than 150%
[was 125%] plus $100,000 of the salary amount that they traded away or
100% plus $5 million [new], teams over the luxury tax are still limited to
125% plus $100,000
- for trades, teams can include $3 million cash only once in a season

Dallas named Tony Brown as an assistant coach.


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  Patricia Bender                       pbender@eskimo.com
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