Links To All Of Your New CBA Breakdowns

The NBA has some of the most fantastic guys covering not only the basketball side of the game, but also of the in and outs of the CBA and the business side of things. Here's some excerpts analyzing the new tentative agreement

What's in it for the players - TrueHoop Blog - Henry Abbott - ESPN
The best way to really make a lot of money as a non-superstar NBA player is to touch off a free-agent bidding war. Revenue sharing will help even the most tight-fisted teams to join these once in a while. If $3 million or so sounds like a decent salary to you, right now, for the first time have as many as 30 teams that both want you and can afford you.

Analyzing the new NBA labor agreement - Larry Coon - ESPN
The agreement is also said to include a relaxation of many of the system issues from the league's Nov. 10 proposal -- issues that led to the union's disclaimer and subsequent lawsuit. The league sought to control spending and improve competitive balance through a highly punitive luxury tax and further spending restrictions to be imposed on taxpaying teams, which the union considered unacceptable. Friday's compromise included the elimination of the smaller mid-level exception for taxpayers, the restoration of sign-and-trade and extend-and-trade transactions, and the removal of the harsher tax penalties for teams that are taxpayers four times in a five-year span.

More after the jump.

Details of the compromises made to settle the NBA lockout -SheridanHoops.com
On the financial split, the players will receive between 49 and 51 percent of revenues, depending on annual growth. The players had complained prior to Saturday that the owners' previous offer effectively limited them to 50.2 percent of revenues, but the source said 51 percent was now reasonably achievable with robust growth.

How NBA's tentative agreement sounds to our experts - ESPN

3. Who should be the happiest player(s) in the NBA tonight?

Chad Ford, ESPN.com: Kyrie Irving, Derrick Williams, Jimmer Fredette and the rest of the NBA's rookies. They've been playing for free in college, so they don't know what they've lost in the deal. The NBA has been a lifelong dream -- now they get to live it. From training camp, to their first contract, to their first game to the paychecks, I don't think there was a rookie in the league that wanted this to last another day.

The Point Forward " Posts The mid-level and Bird Rights" - Zach Lowe

Every team can use the full mid-level exception, provided doing so does not take the team more than $4 million over the tax line.

What's in the deal and how it got done - Ken Berger - CBSSports.com

Qualifying offers: The players feel they made significant gains here for restricted free agents. Qualifying offers will be guaranteed with the potential to be significantly enhanced based on performance. So for example, a first-round pick between picks 10-30 would be eligible to receive a qualifying offer as high as the ninth pick's if he's a starter for half the regular season games or 2,000 minutes. Second-round picks and undrafted players could be eligible for QO's as high as the 21st pick based on the same criteria. Similarly, picks 1-14 could have their qualifying offers reduced if they don't meet the criteria. It's a nice compromise that provides opportunities for players who perform and gives owners protection against having to overpay players who don't.

New Deal Helps N.B.A.’s Small-Market Teams - NYTimes.com

But here is the tricky part for the N.B.A. as it moves forward with its most potent teams inhabiting the glamour markets of Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, Boston, Dallas and possibly soon New York: Will the sport ultimately benefit or bomb without superteams playing deep into June?

Professional football - wildly popular as metaphorical war, manned by costumed foot soldiers - is seldom marketed as a game of stars or even as a showdown of cities. It is primarily about Cowboys and Giants, Steelers and Ravens.

The full test of the proposed changes (pdf) - via Sam Amick

A modified waiver process will be utilized for players waived pursuant tothe Amnesty rule, under which teams with Room under the Cap cansubmit competing offers to assume some but not all of the player'sremaining contract. If a player's contract is claimed in this manner, theremaining portion of the player's salary will continue to be paid by theteam that waived him.

Maximum Salaries - Same as under the 2005 CBA, except that any player in his 5th year (e.g.,following his rookie scale contract) is eligible to receive from his own teama maximum salary contract that provides for a starting salary of up to 30percent of the Salary Cap, provided he has met one of the followingcriteria: (i) named to the All-NBA first, second, or third team two times, (ii)voted in as an All-Star starter two times, or (iii) named NBA MVP onetime. A 30% max contract cannot be signed as part of a sign-and-tradetransaction.

NBA owners' concessions benefit Miami Heat, Mike Miller - ESPN
The biggest move was owners allowing teams that are not more than $4 million over the luxury tax line to use the full mid-level exception of $5 million, according to multiple reports. That $4 million window makes a world of difference for the Heat and should allow them to:

• Keep Miller and Chalmers, sign a $5 million free agent, sign Cole and still be able to tack on veterans at the NBA minimum. Perhaps players like Grant Hill, Michael Redd, James Jones or players who are waived by the via the amnesty clause elsewhere.
• Use the entire $5 million mid-level exception in free agency without having to use the amnesty clause on Mike Miller to waive him and get his contract off the books.
• Use the entire mid-level exception on a free agent and still be able re-sign restricted free agent Mario Chalmers and rookie point guard Norris Cole.