Steve Adamek reports
The Knicks’ appeal to get a disabled player salary-cap exception for Cuttino Mobley was denied by the NBA late Friday, team president Donnie Walsh said Saturday morning.
It would not only have given them a nearly $4.5 million cap slot immediately to use either in a deal or to sign another player not only now, but into next season, but also get his salary (for this season and next) off their cap and enable them to take him off their roster, .
The league, Walsh said, essentially determined that Mobley’s heart condition, which forced him to retire shortly after the Knicks acquired him from the Clippers on Nov. 21, but with which he had played before that this season, was a pre-existing condition.
The Knicks, who discovered it in what was a more extensive physical than Mobley said he got from the Clippers, argued that it wasn’t, saying they were the ones to discover its extent after the trade.
So no $4.5mil exception for the Knicks. That would have been a very useful asset to have.
It’ll be interesting to see whether NY buyout Mobley, or keep him on the roster up until 2010 in case a trade opportunity rears it’s head.
Posted on January 31, 2009 by Dave