TJ update on wiretap.

[midranger]

I think he can get his money and isn't there some sort of injury exception that the NBA has in place now that will allow the Raptors to spend the amount of money his contract was?

I guess GAD would have to answer that one... I thought there was some sort of injury exception.

1 year after medical retirement.

[fam3381]

I think he can get his money and isn't there some sort of injury exception that the NBA has in place now that will allow the Raptors to spend the amount of money his contract was?

I guess GAD would have to answer that one... I thought there was some sort of injury exception.

53. How do retired players count against the cap?

Any money paid to a player is included in team salary, even if the player has retired. For example, James Worthy retired in 1994, two years before his contract ended. He continued to receive his salary for the 1994-95 and 1995-96 seasons, so his salary was included in the Lakers' team salary in those seasons. It is at the team's discretion (or as the result of an agreement between the team and player) whether to continue to pay the player after he has retired.

There is one exception whereby a player can continue to receive his salary, but the salary is not included in the team's team salary. This is when a player is forced to retire for medical reasons and a league-appointed physician confirms that he is medically unfit to continue playing. There is a waiting period of one year following the injury or illness before a team can apply for this salary cap relief. If the waiting period expires mid-season (on any date prior to the last day of the regular season), then the player's entire salary for that season is removed from the team's team salary. For example, in March 2003 the Knicks were allowed to remove Luc Longley's entire 2002-03 salary from their books (and since the luxury tax is based on the team salary as of the last day of the regular season, the Knicks avoided paying any tax on Longley's salary). This provision can also be used when a player dies while under contract.

Teams are not allowed to trade for disabled players and then apply for this salary cap relief. Only the team for which the player was playing when he was disabled may request this relief.

If a player retires, even for medical reasons, his team does not receive a salary cap exception to acquire a replacement player.

http://members.cox.net/lmcoon/salarycap.htm#53

[LISTEN2JAZZ]

TJ seems to be in a pretty decent situation, all things considered. To have his passion stripped from him must be frustrating beyond imagination, but he's still young, healthy (from a non-basketball standpoint), and a multi-millionaire. He could go back to school and study for any non-athletic profession in the world - whatever sounds most interesting to him with no regard as to how much it pays/doesn't pay. He could start a business (hopefully with limited financial exposure at first while he's learning the ropes), or a charity. He could coach basketball, etc.

I'm not trying to minimize how difficult it would be to have the thing you love most taken away from you - but it's a big world out there, and there are a lot of ways to enjoy life.

[midranger]

He was just on a Toronto radio show hosted by Chuck Swirsky. There is a thread on it on the Raps board if interested.

Paraphrasing their recap....

Said he feels fine now, and is working with the team and doctors to figure out when the best time to return is. Said he'll play again, hopefully this year, but that retirement had crossed his mind.

[GrandAdmiralDan]

http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/50084/20080103/ford_consulting_with_specialists/


Apparently, those first two consultations didn't go the way TJ and/or the Raptors wanted them to. They are seeking yet other opinions. However, I really have to question this move at this point. I assume the two guys that he's already seen are (at least nationally), perhaps world reknowned spine surgeons. I think it's bull the the team is pressuring him to keep getting these opinions until some quack comes out and says, "Hey, you're good to go." I also, question any doctor's sanity who has two experts on record as disagreeing with him. If something goes wrong, that guy is in court within seconds, and probably loses his practice because of it.

I'm all for taking your health into your own hands and getting second opinions on major health choices. However, I'm sure these two guys are the best to be found, and have dedicated plenty of time to their medical judgment. If Colangelo or the rest of the Raps organization has put the 3rd, 4th, 5th opinion bug in TJ's ear, he has to be very careful. Just seems kind of slimy at this point.

This article seemed too vague to me to be able to really conclude anything. To begin with, it doesn't really reveal anything about the consultations Ford has already had.

Dr. Robert Watkins, for example, is soncidered the foremost expert in this field and actually handled Ford's case and performed the Cervical Vertebrae Fusion. It was he and his Spinal Institute (which he appears to have since split off from and started a new institute, interesting) that a good portion of the information I was relying on for my understanding came from, and that's who the Bucks received assurances from primarily before being comfortable with Ford playing again, and that was who Colangleo relied on primarily prior to trading for Ford and prior to giving him that extension (which was fully insured based on information provided by Watkins). Other opinions were sought at those times, but everyone backed Watkins professional opinion on things.

So I would be shocked at this point if Watkins was reversing course on any of that. He'd be pretty much sealing his own fate in a malpractice suit I would think in that case, but I guess we'd have to find out what was said in this round of consultations.

-= original quote snipped =-



No, we have no idea what they told him. That said, if two experts gave him a clean bill of health, I sincerely doubt that the team would be asking for more consultations.

Maybe.
But maybe they want to be even more cautious this time around.
All the experts before (including and primarily Dr. Robert Watkins) were emphatic about the only risks being paralysis or death. There was never supposed to be any issue with stingers, at least stingers that had any relation to hir prior condition and surgery, but now it seems like TJ is being told otherwise.

-= original quote snipped =-



But that's not what GAD says. I think TJ is wrong.

TJ was told exactly what I was when this was an issue when he was still with Milwaukee. Risk of paralysis, risk of death. He was always still at risk of another cervical spinal contusion if the fusion wasn't the remedy it was supposed to be, but another contusion in that same area that was damaged before was supposed to this time paralyze or kill him.

They seem to be adjusting what they are telling him since then, especially as it relates to these stingers. Those were never supposed to be a problem.

This just wasn't supposed to be a problem, which is why Colangelo was able to get the standard insurance on TJ's contract extension.
So you can save the snarkiness, as that extension would never have received the standard insurance without the kind of expert testimony and documentation I was also using for the information I was relaying here.

[GrandAdmiralDan]

I think he can get his money and isn't there some sort of injury exception that the NBA has in place now that will allow the Raptors to spend the amount of money his contract was?

I guess GAD would have to answer that one... I thought there was some sort of injury exception.

There are two aspects to that.

You have the medical retirement stuff referred to by midranger and fam, but you also have the option of obtaining and using a disabled player exception (e.g. the Bucks used the DPE we had obtained from Simmons' season ending injury in order to be able to absorb Earl Boykins salary last season via trade).

For more on this, use the following link and scroll down to the Disabled Player Exception section

http://members.cox.net/lmcoon/salarycap.htm#19

[Neapolitan Buck]

Maybe it's better for him to retire...I don't know that, I only know that I'm terribly sad for him; he's too good to deserve this...but he has to retire. It's better for him, for his life.