heat fans and their dickriders
butler might not even be on the heats roster read this for more info
http://heathoops.net/2010/07/breaking-down-the-da’sean-butler-situation/
guy still isnt ready to play basketball yet and could not be ready till late into the season and if hes not cleared by the team doctor or put on the roster for one of the already signed players will go to free agency
butler might not even be on the heats roster read this for more info
http://heathoops.net/2010/07/breaking-down-the-da’sean-butler-situation/
Da’Sean Butler had played his way into a sure first-round draft selection with a spectacular senior campaign at West Virginia last season, sinking six game-winning shots, earning second-team All-America honors, and leading the Mountaineers to the Final Four for the first time since 1959. With a first round selection comes the virtual guarantee of becoming a multi-millionaire.
And then one fateful play changed the course of Da’Sean’s career. With a little less than nine minutes remaining in the Mountaineers’ national semi-final match-up with eventual champion Duke on April 3rd, Butler drove to the basket and collided with the Blue Devils’ Brian Zoubek. Moments later, the senior forward lay on his back clutching his left knee, writhing in pain caused by a torn ACL, a sprained MCL and two bone bruises.
The image of head coach Bob Huggins consoling his fallen superstar was simultaneously touching and perhaps just a bit uncomfortable. But we can all certainly empathize. Instead of beginning preparation for a potential spot in a starting rotation somewhere in this league, Butler found himself instead fighting for any place at all.
On April 8, Butler had surgery at The Andrews Institute in Gulf Breeze, Florida (which, as it turns out, is just south of Pensacola). His doctor said the surgery went “super well.” And so began his arduous rehabilitation process.
When the Heat drafted Butler with the 42nd overall pick just two months later, it was undoubtedly a risk. Da’Sean’s future was on the line. He had been working hard to get himself back into shape, but the reality is that he wasn’t projected to be cleared to play full contact basketball until October, four months after the draft. He was depending on a team to take a chance on him – a guy who had just recently shed his crutches.
For Pat Riley and the Heat, who had bigger plans in mind, it was a manageable risk. If it didn’t work out, it wouldn’t be much more than a minor blip on the radar to a team that had three other second round picks. But if Butler recovers to be anywhere near the player he was pre-injury, Riley will have potentially pulled off the most masterful stroke of draft brilliance.
At the time, things were certainly looking promising. Butler declared himself to be a full week ahead of schedule. The selection was therefore labeled by many as the steal of the draft.
Da’Sean’s road to recovery now appears as if it is going to take a bit longer than originally expected. Butler underwent a minimally invasive (which means reduced pain due to smaller incisions and hemorrhaging, and shorter recovery time) laparoscopic surgery two weeks ago. He is once again on crutches and resting. He will not be able to return to rehab until the swelling in his knee goes down. Doctors hope that will happen within the coming week. Butler is now projected to be back on the court sometime in October.
It does not appear this setback will hurt Butler’s chance of making the team. He and the Heat are reportedly having discussions about a potential contract.
Such discussions, if true, are certainly interesting. The Heat now has 14 players under guaranteed contract. NBA teams can carry a maximum of 15 players in the regular season and as many as 20 in the off-season.
The question is who that fifteenth and final spot will be reserved for.
Kenny Hasbrouck and Shavlik Randolph have each signed summer contracts. The Heat is also showing some interest in Tracy McGrady. Everybody seemingly has additional thoughts to throw into the mix.
Is Butler truly a realistic possibility? Let’s take a closer look.
When a player is selected in the second round of the draft, he remains the property of the team that selected him until at the very least September 5. At that point, the team needs to make a decision.
In order for a team to continue to retain the rights to a player, it must submit a “Required Tender.” The tender needs to be extended no later than September 5 and affords the player until at least the immediately following October 15 to accept. The tender is an offer of a contract, typically for one year at the rookie minimum salary and not guaranteed. The tender can require the player to pass a physical examination as a condition precedent to the validity of the contract. If the player fails the physical, the tender is withdrawn, but the team still holds his rights.
The Heat will undoubtedly extend Butler a Required Tender in order to retain his rights. Remember again that while the Heat must trim down to a 15-player roster by the start of the regular season, it can hold up to 20 players during the off-season. Therefore, offering Butler such a tender is not in any way limiting to the organization.
Here’s where things get interesting.
If Butler accepts the tender, he will be required to pass a physical exam. The tender will be offered on September 5 and will be withdrawn on October 15, which means Butler will need to be healthy enough to pass the physical by the latter date.
If Butler does not pass the physical, the tender will be invalidated and the Heat will, by default, retain his rights until the next draft.
If Butler does pass the physical, which seems unlikely at this point, he will be the property of the Miami Heat for the upcoming season on what will very likely be an unguaranteed contract. At this point, he will become just like Kenny Hasbrouck and Shavlik Randolph. The Heat can elect to keep him through training camp, through the preseason, and even into the regular season if it is prepared to have him be the 15th and final roster player.
Bear in mind that if he passes the physical, the Heat’s team doctor will have effectively declared him healthy. In such a case, he may well get that last spot – because if not, the Heat will lose its first round talent to free agency. Also bear in mind, however, that if he does pass the physical, the Heat can always waive one of its minimum contract players that has a guaranteed contract if it wants to make additional room on the roster.
If Butler does not accept the tender, Butler remains the property of the Miami Heat until the next NBA draft (much like the scenario in which he accepts his tender but does not pass the physical, explained above). This would be something of a best-case scenario for both sides. For Butler, it would provide both the time he needs to recover and the widest range of options once he does. For the Heat, it would afford the opportunity to keep a close eye on its potential star swingman; Riley will have up to a full year to evaluate the status of Butler’s left knee without the pressures of being required to offer a contract. If the two sides cannot agree to a contract at some point in that year, the Heat will lose its exclusive right to negotiate with Butler and he will then be eligible for selection in the 2011 draft.
If I had to guess, I would say Da’Sean will make a full recovery from his knee injury at some point during the regular season. Once he does, he will consciously choose not to play professional ball outside the NBA, neither in the D-League nor in Europe, as doing so will make him the property of the Miami Heat for yet another season; if he sits out the season, he would be eligible to enter the 2011 NBA Draft as a fully-healed youngster. Instead, he and the Heat will ultimately agree to a two-year minimum salary contract. The Heat will be forced to waive one of its fifteen players under contract in order to accommodate him.
Therefore, the fifteen players who start the regular season for the Heat will very likely not be the fifteen players who end it. Expect Da’Sean’s name to be on the roster by the time the team’s final regular season game rolls around.
guy still isnt ready to play basketball yet and could not be ready till late into the season and if hes not cleared by the team doctor or put on the roster for one of the already signed players will go to free agency
