The NBA and Amnesty Season

If you enjoy NBA basketball, the summer is usually an exciting time.  The NBA hosts summer league tournaments, and occasionally, an underdog plays well enough to earn an invite to a NBA team's veteran camp.  Guys in that position are usually journeymen who have played on 4 or 5 different continents and multiple domestic professional or semi-professional teams.  Most often, however, these players were drafted in the second round, or who were undrafted in the NBA draft.  I watched some summer league basketball this summer and a few players are playing well.  However, it takes more than a solid showing to be signed to an NBA team.  A player also has to be lucky.  Some say that luck happens at the intersection of preparation and opportunity.  I think that is especially the case with respect to making an NBA roster. 

The NBA's amnesty provision allows each NBA team to waive one player on a one time basis.  The waived player's salary will not count against his prior team's salary cap or potential luxury cap computations. The provision only applies to players signed to an NBA team before the 2011-12 NBA season.  Once the player is waived, he goes through the waivers process, which lasts for 48 hours.  During that period, a team can make a full waiver claim or a partial waiver claim.  The team that waived the player must continue paying the waived player unless another team assumes the full contract of the player.  It can work well for the amnestied player if he is selected by a championship contender.  This summer there have been a number of notable amnestied players.

Mike Miller signed a multi-year deal with the Miami Heat in 2010.  He was signed to provide outside shooting.  At the time of his signing, he was healthy and ready to fill that role.  However, his next few years in Miami were marked by multiple health issues, although he helped the Heat win two back-to-back NBA championships.  At the beginning of this summer, Pat Riley went on the record and stated that he did not want to amnesty Mike Miller.  However, the team's owner had the final decision making authority.  He decided that letting Mike Miller go to another team and saving his team millions of dollars in luxury taxes was the most financially savvy move.  As an aside, I keep hearing that the Denver Nuggets are trying hard to sign Mike Miller.

Metta World Peace was another impact player who was amnestied by his former team, the Los Angeles Lakers.  Metta signed with the Lakers a few years ago and helped them win a NBA Championship.  He played his role of enforcer and defensive ace during his time with the Lakers.  However, father time and injuries have slowed him and he is not as effective as he once was.  That said, he still has something left in the tank, or so the Knicks think he does because they signed him to a two year deal.  I think he will help the Knicks and he should be able get minutes on a team where defense is not a strength.  

I think Oklahoma City should amnesty Kendrick Perkins, who happens to be the most overrated center in the league.  He does not rebound at an elite rate, nor does he block shots.  He may lead the league is scowls, but that does not lead to wins.  I digress. 

I am rooting for the underdogs and hoping that someone is able to make an impact a la Flip Murray a few years ago.


Peace