The Basketball Jones: Five key points from the new Collective Bargaining Agreement
Everyone is still digesting the huge volume of news emanating from the remains of the NBA lockout, and they're all asking the same question: "How does the NBA work now?" The folks at the Basketball Jones have a few answers, highlighting five noteworthy changes in the new collective bargaining agreement.
We're all reasonably familiar with the changes to the luxury tax rules and salary cap exceptions, but there were some important rule updates as well, including a new restriction on reacquiring traded players. Whereas teams could previously re-sign a traded player waived by the recipient team after a waiting period of 30 days (seems like this was an annual occurrence with Cleveland and Zydrunas Ilgauskas), they must now wait until July 1 following the last season of the player's contract or one year from the date of the trade, whichever comes earliest.
The Point Forward: Revised amnesty clause raises questions
One of the most noteworthy inclusions in the new CBA is, of course, the amnesty clause. This iteration differs a fair amount from the amnesty provision of '98-'99, and the Point Forward blog does a great job breaking down the nuances and potential consequences this rule could have for the league as we enter what's sure to be a manic free agency period.
Late add - ESPN: How new NBA deal compares to last one
Larry Coon, who authored the best, most comprehensive guide to the last CBA out there, breaks down the new agreement point-by-point and determines who benefits most from the changes.
The Point Forward: CBA questions for teams: Eastern Conference
SI's NBA blog also considered a few questions for each team in the NBA, framed by the intrigue of the new CBA. Unsurprisingly, the Bucks' question pertains to revenue sharing:
Will the new deal do enough...to help the Bucks become profitable? Herb Kohl joined with Jordan as the most ardent voices in favor of heftier revenue sharing, even though Kohl has said before he cares little about making a profit from the team.
Those details are likely to be kept under wraps for quite a while, but there is little reason to doubt the system going forward will be better for teams like Milwaukee than it has been in the past.
Yahoo! Sports - Ball Don't Lie: NBA to play only two preseason games per team, fans rejoice
The compressed preseason timeline isn't going to cost the NBA all of their precious exhibition games! Two games will be preserved, scheduled as a home-and-home between pairs of teams geographically closest to each other. A pairing with the Chicago Bulls makes the most sense for the Bucks, and realistically that's not a bad deal for the team or the Bradley Center--bringing in a star like Derrick Rose for an exhibition game makes tickets at least a bit easier to sell.
Hurriyet Daily News: Turkish clubs bid farewell to NBA stars
For once, the NBA is pillaging Europe for players. Admittedly, those players were only there because of the lockout, but I like to imagine Derek Fisher beaching a large wooden ship on the shores of Portugal, reeling down a ramp, and shouting, "Come on boys, I've come to rescue you from this strange land!" Ersan Ilyasova's future with the Bucks remains uncertain, but he is under contract and will likely return to the NBA one way or another.
Dime Magazine: 10 NBA Players Who Have the Most to be Thankful for This Thanksgiving
Brandon Jennings has been a veritable superstar of the lockout, splitting time between his Curator of Cool position and lighting it up in charity and pickup games. It was about as successful a lockout could be for a professional basketball player who never really got paid to play basketball. Let's hope the lockout isn't the highlight of Jennings' career six months from now.
YouTube: Tobias Harris Talks End of NBA Lockout (NickyBtv.com Exclusive)
Tobias Harris and his fellow rookies have to be some of the happiest players to see the lockout end.
JS: New Bucks guard Udrih says he's happy to get to work
"I give credit to my wife," Udrih said. "She told me to come to Milwaukee and get settled in. We like it a lot."The weather is not like California, and we'll definitely have to dress a little warmer not to get sick."
Udrih found a training home at the Milwaukee Athletic Club, where he has worked out the past months under the tutelage of his personal coach, Bostjan Kuhar.
Milwaukee native Carl Landry, Udrih's former teammate in Sacramento, joined Udrih several times to practice at the facility.
Everything's falling into place...
The Triangle Blog: 25 Reasons Why We'll Miss the NBA Lockout
This is a ridiculous headline because the lockout was awful. Just awful.