Looks like the tampering charges came down around 7/14/1996. This article is before that;
Barkley eager for new address; Rockets set to pull trigger on transaction
(SPORTS) Author(s):Eddie Sefko.
Source:The Houston Chronicle (Houston, TX) (July 9, 1996): p1. (1169 words)
Document Type:Newspaper Bookmark:Bookmark this Document Library Links:
Full Text :COPYRIGHT 1996 Houston Chronicle Publishing Company Division, Hearst Newspapers Partnership, LP
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Whether the NBA goes back to work today, it will be just a matter of time until the Rockets reload their roster, starting with Charles Barkley.
The league's moratorium on free-agent signings and trades is scheduled to end at 11 a.m. CDT today. But negotiators for the NBA and the players' union were talking late Monday, and the possibility exists that the moratorium could be extended beyond today.
The league and its players are trying to agree to details of the collective-bargaining agreement. The deal must be ratified by the players and signed by union leaders before teams can resume dealings with players.
The Rockets, like almost every other team in the NBA, will start wheeling and dealing as soon as possible after the moratorium is lifted, hoping to retool and fine-tune for the 1996-97 season.
When transactions can be made, the Rockets will take care of several procedural matters necessary to acquire Barkley. The first order of business is expected to be the renouncement of their rights to Kenny Smith, freeing up some $2.7 million under the salary cap. That will signify the end of Smith's six-season Rockets career.
It also will drop the Rockets far enough below the salary cap for them to complete the three-way trade to bring Barkley to Houston, a deal numerous sources insist has been agreed to in principle by all parties involved.
Monday, there were uncertainties about particulars of the trade. The unknowns involve Denver free-agent center Dikembe Mutombo and are such that gauging a timetable for the trade's completion could be difficult.
Denver president and coach Bernie Bickerstaff said Monday that the Nuggets will have an offer on the table for Mutombo at 11:01 a.m. CDT today. Whether that offer will be the one to facilitate the trade remains to be seen.
It's possible the Nuggets would start with a low-ball offer for appearance's sake. Any teams found to have negotiated with agents before the moratorium is lifted could be slapped with tampering charges by the NBA.
But at some point, the Nuggets are expected to sign Mutombo because the trade cannot go through unless the first domino to fall is Mutombo's signing.
As it is believed to stand, the trade would be consummated once Mutombo signs a five- or six-year deal starting at $6.8 million and escalating 20 percent per season. For six years, such a deal would average just more than $10 million per season, making it competitive with a deal the Detroit Pistons reportedly were formulating that would have paid Mutombo $50 million over five years.
With the Rockets under the salary cap, they then would ship Robert Horry and Sam Cassell to the Nuggets for Mutombo. The Rockets then would send Mutombo to Phoenix for Barkley and Joe Kleine, whose combined salaries would be within the allowable 15 percent of Mutombo's $6.8 million, making the deal work for Phoenix.
In essence, the Suns would set the price for Mutombo's contract.
The deal appears all but done. Sources in Phoenix have said the Suns are ready to embrace Mutombo. The Nuggets are thrilled to escape the financial handcuffs that signing and keeping Mutombo would have placed on them. The Rockets have remained quiet about the trade talks.
Barkley and Hakeem Olajuwon have talked about how they are looking forward to playing on the same team.
But there is always reticence about a trade until the trigger is pulled. Monday, there was speculation starting in Denver that Cassell might not be included in the deal. If not, another player might have to be included, depending on how far the Rockets are under the salary cap.
The reason for uncertainty regarding Cassell is the Nuggets were believed to be trying to fit Cassell into Rodney Rogers' salary slot vacated when they traded three players for Antonio McDyess on draft night in 1995.
The Nuggets lost that salary-cap slot when the 1996 draft passed. Such salary-cap slots can be retained only for one year.
But sources in Houston and Denver said they had not heard of any changes regarding the Rockets' planned roster moves and that Cassell and Horry are the departing players.
That means that when Barkley becomes a Rocket, they will be left searching for an NBA-quality point guard.
The top name on their list apparently is Washington free agent Brent Price, who had a breakthrough season with the Bullets in 1995-96.
Price averaged better than nine points and five assists in 81 games last season. This came after returning from a serious knee injury that kept the former Oklahoma Sooner out for all of the 1994-95 season.
During the last month of the season, Price was sharp enough to draw comparisons to his brother, the more heralded Mark Price, who is likely to retire before next season.
Brent Price, 27, could command a starting salary of $2 million.
It is unknown if the Rockets will be far enough under the cap after their Barkley trade to challenge for Price's services. If they are not, they might have to renounce their rights to Mario Elie, a decision that would be difficult for coach Rudy Tomjanovich.
But the Rockets will have to have a point guard.
Other players, such as Chucky Brown and Mark Bryant, are under contract for next season, and their salaries count against the Rockets' cap regardless of whether they are renounced.
What happens if you're reading poetry or something? Do you just throw whatever you're reading against the wall in frustration?
