Deals won't become final Friday

[dirno2000]

By Marc Stein
ESPN.com


NBA teams were notified by memo Wednesday that the new collective bargaining agreement will not be finalized by Friday, indefinitely pushing back the date when free agents can sign new contracts.

Teams and players have been free to negotiate and reach verbal agreements on contract terms since July 1, but Friday was originally scheduled to be the first day free agents could sign the contracts.

The league has not set a date for implementing the new labor agreement, but it's believed that it will not happen until July 29 at the earliest.

Among the teams that will have to wait for their new players are the Cleveland Cavaliers, who have agreed to a five-year deal with Larry Hughes.

The new labor deal was reached June 21 and includes an age minimum, increased pensions for retired players, harsher penalties for drug violators and the option of sending young players for minor-league seasoning.

The salary cap will increase from 48.04 percent of revenue to 51 percent, and players will be guaranteed 57 percent of revenue.

[#1MavsFan]

Final contract may be delayed
By Marc J. Spears
Denver Post Staff Writer

The NBA and the players union announced a six-year collective bargaining agreement last month but pushed back the date when free agents could start signing, from July 14 to July 22 as they worked out details.

Spokesmen for both sides say they remain committed to finalizing a contract by Friday, but it's not certain. Talk around the league is that the contract might not be completed until Aug. 1 in order to give both sides more time, thus delaying when teams can sign free agents.

An NBA and players union spokesman said they are still hoping to get the CBA done this week.

"That goal hasn't changed," NBA spokesman Tim Frank said Tuesday.

Said players union spokesman Dan Wasserman: "We're making progress toward completing the agreement. The goal by both sides is to complete everything by (Friday)."

Finley update

The Dallas Morning News reported more than 10 teams have shown interest in signing Mavericks swingman Michael Finley if he is waived by the team under terms of the amnesty clause in the new CBA. Dallas could save about $51 million

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in luxury taxes over the next three seasons by waiving Finley. The Nuggets are believed to be one of the teams interested in Finley.

Footnotes

Nuggets forward Eduardo Najera was among the NBA players who attended the Finley & Friends charity golf tournament Monday in Dallas. ... Former Nuggets assistant Rex Kalamian officially joined the Minnesota Timberwolves as a bench assistant, signing a three-year contract. ... The NBDL changed its name to the NBA Development League to better reflect the future role of the league within the new CBA. The league also has a new logo and officially adopted its already widely used nickname of "D-League."

Marc J. Spears can be reached at 303-820-5449 or mspears@denverpost.com.