1. Call this one the Gary Payton Rule: Players who are traded and then waived by their new team cannot sign back with the team that traded them for 30 days (20 days in the offseason). Payton, you'll recall, was dealt from Boston to Atlanta in the Antoine Walker trade-deadline swap in February, only to rejoin the Celtics three days later. Had this rule been in place last season, Payton still would have been eligible for the playoffs after Atlanta released him March 1, but he would have been forced to wait until March 31 to re-sign with Boston.
2. A trick that attracted even more attention last season -- after Alonzo Mourning and Jim Jackson refused to report to Toronto and New Orleans to eventually force their way to title contenders -- will be personally addressed by the commissioner from now on. The new rules empower David Stern to fine or suspend such players, and word is he plans to swing the hammer hard in hopes of dissuading future Zos from holding out after trades. Mourning was able to sign with Miami after the Raptors, who had acquired the veteran center from New Jersey in the Vince Carter trade, bought him out for an estimated $11 million. Had Stern possessed this option last season, Zo likely would have been forced to miss a handful of games through suspension upon joining the Heat.
Okay, while I'm glad that they are dealing with rule #1 -- wouldn't this best be called the Mavericks rule -- who traded for KVH with the understanding that their plyer would be waived so they could resign him? Don't like what GP did either but the Mavs was just downright a slap in the fact to Stern, IMO. I think it should have been longer than 30 days -- if they were waived, I can buy that but I think GP also refused to report so Atlanta waived him!
I really think these two rules could be a LOT harsher. If a player (like ZO) forces a team to buy him out -- I don't think that Zo should be allowed to play for the rest of the season (or just postseason, perhaps). What Zo did to the Raptors was a CRIME, IMO. He basically could afford to sign with Miami for a lot less money because the Raptors paid $11 million dollars for him to go play with a different team -- why? Because he FORCED them too! I don't like that -- at ALL!!! Forget about a handful of games -- that isn't stiff enough! Fine them their ENTIRE buyout (if it's forced rather than team initiated) and THEN suspend them as well. I just don't like that type of action. I could understand Jimmy Jackson a bit more -- he didn't want to play for the Hornets -- and that's the Hornets fault for putting such a crappy team together! Jimmy wasn't getting his cake and eat it too (see Zo), he simply wanted to play for a team that had a shot at the playoffs, at this point in his career, I don't really blame him (although I STILL think the Rockets were idiots to trade him for Wesley -- and someone actually wrote that it for defensive reasons!!! lol).
