※ 引述《zenwu (橘子)》之銘言： : Shareef Abdur-Rahim announced his retirement today, ending his stellar career : after 12 seasons. : For the last 18 months, the 31-year-old Kings forward had been unable to : recover from two arthroscopic knee surgeries and was faced with the reality of : retirement far sooner than he had anticipated. But after saying in July that : his body would make the decision for him, the answer was not what he had hoped : for. : "I've been in a situation where I've been trying to get healthy over the last : year and a half," Abdur-Rahim said in a statement. "I came to grips with the : fact that, health-wise, I won't be able to get back to the condition and level : that is needed to play in the NBA. My right knee has become arthritic over the : years and is to the point where it won't allow me to do the things and play at : the level in which I'm accustomed to playing. As tough as it is to come to : grips with, it's the reality." : Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie, who has become increasingly fond of : Abdur-Rahim in recent years, indicated what had been hinted to in this blog in : recent months: that Abdur-Rahim could stay on board as a coach. After entering : the summer with much talk about hiring a big man's coach, the Kings could call : on the man who averaged at least 19.9 points per game in seven of his seasons : and at least 8.4 rebounds in five seasons to fill that role. : "First of all, on behalf of the organization I want to thank Shareef for his : contribution to the Kings and NBA both on and off the court," Petrie said in : the statement. "He has had an exemplary career as a player and citizen. It is : unfortunate for any productive career to be felled by injury. However, no one : can ever doubt Shareef's effort, commitment or desire to excel. It is our : intention to find a new role for Shareef with the organization as he begins the : next phase of his professional life." : While the Kings most certainly wish Abdur-Rahim's decline hadn't come with two : seasons left on his five-year deal worth $29 million, there is a silver lining : in the situation. There is a strong possibility that they will have : Abdur-Rahim's salary ($6.6 million) come off of the salary cap for the 2009-10 : season. It would be unexpected relief at a time when their long-term vision of : clearing cap space and completing the rebuilding process would be coming into : focus. : According to the league's collective bargaining agreement, the Kings would have : to apply for his salary to be covered by insurance because his career was cut : short by injury. If the league's medical folks confirm his condition as the : reason for retirement, the Kings get the relief. For the record, it is already : too late for the Kings to be absolved of his 2008-09 salary. In order for that : to take place, Abdur-Rahim would have had to make his decision during the : 2007-08 campaign. Kings Could Get Cap Relief From Abdur-Rahim If NBA doctors confirm that Shareef Abdur-Rahim's knee injury was the reason for his retirement, the Kings would get salary cap relief for the 2009-10 season, according to Sacramento Bee. Abdur-Rahim is owed $6.6 million next season. He retired too close to the 2008-09 season to allow Sacramento to apply for cap relief this year. -- --

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