and the NBA is over

  Well, the NHL has still not come to terms with the players.  A local report stated that some of those 'inside' the room wanted to wait until the NBA season was over.  At first I shook my head and rolled my eyes, then it started to make some sense.  Maybe it's the heat and humidity that is making me delusional, but it did make some sense.  If the finals were still going on and the announcement was made that a deal was done, where would the media coverage be?  Probably still on the finals and in a little blurb across the ESPN ticker there would be something saying, 'the NHL and players come to an agreement, more to follow.'
 
I wrote the other day about Jagr and his feelings about not taking a deal sooner.  Now Mario Lemieux has come out and virtually said the same thing.  "They should have taken the deal back in February," Lemieux said Thursday, referring to the last-gasp negotiations that took place just before the 2004-05 season was canceled. "The cap was at $42.5 million, that was the offer from the owners, now it looks like it's going to be a lot less than that."
 
Reports are also coming out of NYC that when the deal is done the Rangers would seriously consider buying out Holik's contract.  Apparently, there will be a clause in the new CBA that teams can buy out contracts for two-thirds of the existing contract to get under the cap.  One catch would be they could not re-sign the player they buy out.  With two years left on his $45 million contract.  With what is left, his salary alone would take a huge chunk out of the expected cap of $36 to $38 million cap.  Even with the 24 percent rollback, Holik's remaining salary would be over $6 million per year.  I personally never thought he was worth that money, but the bidding war began and the biggest spender won.  That is why I thought the lock out and salary cap issue was so important.  I hate that I lost a season, but this definitely needed to be fixed!
 
With all that said, I for one am looking forward to the season beginning.  It will be a little hectic at first as players and teams shuffle to get under that cap.  Imagine how many other players may be 'bought out,' how many might be available for the smaller market teams to make a bid on them.  How much more exciting a game will be as the teams won't be so lopsided.  
 
The NBA is over, game 7 was won by the Spurs.... Let the announcements begin!!!