Agree it’s pretty rare for players to retire and leave money on the table. The only candidate I can remotely think of is Shaq — let’s say this year goes badly. Does he really want to do it again in 2009-2010? You’d think he’d be rich enough already. (but then there’s that divorce to pay for…)

Usually players only retire during their contract if it is because they can’t physically compete any longer. I suppose Bison Dele would be an example of retiring during the course of one’s contract. I believe in that case he walked away from the millions he was still owed (and presumably that money came off the cap).

“we don’t even know if Fred Jones wants to re-sign.”

He won’t get offered $6 million for next year from anyone. And probably wouldn’t get a multi years deal either. I don’t want to re-sign him, necessarily, but if we want an extra salary to throw into a trade, his would be more useful that Jerome James’. If Walsh doesn’t want to compromise the team’s long term salary flexibility by using the mid-level exemption, then buying out James and re-signing Jones for one year would be a fiscally responsible move.

But Collins is 99.5% as useless… and we don’t even know if Fred Jones wants to re-sign. Would you?

Are you sure about this? This is the one scenario I wasn’t sure about.

Also, if a player just up and retires to spend more time in his family — he’s not getting paid, so I assume he would come off the cap. Right?
Of course JJ isn’t giving up any paydays, so this is purely hypothetical. (Or maybe Isaih can send Mardy Collins over to his house, tell him to goon it up, make him an offer he can’t refuse).

My vote is thumb down. We have always done a good job of giving praise or critique through our posts. When we respond to a post we generally provide reasoning and detail. I find the icons distracting and I think they will not foster the level of discussion I have grown accustomed to here.

Dear Lord, when did I get so old?

Or if he could invest the money in anything that would give him higher than a 20% return over the next two years. Money today is more valuable to him than money over the next two years.

“If he takes a medical retirement, then his roster spot opens up and the insurance company pays the remainder of his deal, but it doesn’t come off the salary cap until the deal sunsets.”

You have to go through a series of medical examinations to be eligible for medical retirement. For example, the bones in Eric Snow’s knees rub together, so he’s physically unable to play.

“If James is bought out, opening a roster spot, Fred Jones can be re-signed for the full mid-level exemption for one year. ”

Fred Jones played alright last season, but I don’t think he’s the first free agent I’d try to sign.

Best case scenario with James, I think, is a buy out– 12 million to disappear. I don’t think it’s worth keeping James on the roster just to have an extra $6 million to trade 18 months from now.

If James is bought out, opening a roster spot, Fred Jones can be re-signed for the full mid-level exemption for one year. That would give the Knicks another trade asset, plus he is a much more useful player than Jerome James (and he likely wouldn’t get a multi-year offer from another team).