http://www.nola.com/hornets/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/1082626589241180.xml Public breakup jeopardizes value Unloading Mashburn could be difficult task for Hornets Thursday, April 22, 2004 By Jimmy Smith Staff writer MIAMI -- The now-public flap between the Hornets and former All-Star forward Jamal Mashburn could make it difficult for the team to trade him in the offseason, according to one NBA front-office executive. "Obviously, it's a tough situation for them to be in," said an NBA general manager, who asked not to be identified. "It's public now. He had to be sent home. And you don't know what's going on with the injury." On Wednesday in a South Florida newspaper, Mashburn criticized the Hornets for allegedly misdiagnosing his knee injury and having a greater interest in seeing him play than whether he's healthy. He also said he'd consider retiring because doctors have told him he no longer has cartilage in his right knee joint, which is causing bruising and irritation. The Hornets responded by sending Mashburn, who remains injured and is not on the playoff roster, away from the team for the rest of the playoffs. Mashburn, who previously played for the Miami Heat, has declined to speak to New Orleans media and did not return a phone call Wednesday. In the South Florida Sun-Sentinel on Wednesday, Mashburn said he hadn't said anything this week that he hasn't said before. He added that he does not know why the Hornets no longer want him around the team. "All that stuff has been said before, so I don't know what the reason was," he said. "Someone asked me a question and I gave an honest answer. That's the only way I know how to be. I would think people would respect me for it, and I respect myself for it. And they know how I feel. I didn't realize you can get penalized for how you feel. But facts are the facts, the truth is the truth. I've been traveling with them. I've done everything they've asked me to do. I go to practices, I do all the rehab, all the treatment. What more can they ask me to do? "But it's about my health. It wasn't directed at any one person. It's just what the facts are. I don't think people from New Orleans were surprised by anything I said. They've seen it before." Mashburn told the Sun-Sentinel that he feels the incident has been "blown out of proportion" and said that the Hornets "told me they wanted me to leave the team, and go back to New Orleans. But I have a home here. They said I would meet with Bob Bass on Thursday." Whatever the facts, the drama will make it all the more difficult for the Hornets to unload Mashburn, if that's what the team wants to do, said the unidentified general manager. "Some team might want to try to take a chance, but, if that team knows the Hornets want to get rid of him, and he doesn't want to be there, it might be hard for New Orleans to get fair market value," he said. "From that standpoint, it puts them in a bad situation." If a player retires abruptly, the general manager said, the team usually is responsible for paying all or part of the salary. In Mashburn's case that's $9.3 million next year, though some or all of that likely could be recouped through an insurance policy. Bass on Wednesday declined to comment on whether the team has insurance against such a possibility. Nor would Bass discuss the Hornets' options regarding Mashburn. Should Mashburn retire, it's unclear how much of his salary would be counted against the Hornets' salary cap figure, or for how long. The Hornets' ability to trade Mashburn may hinge, the unnamed GM said, on Mashburn's desire to continue his career if he's healthy. "Does he want to play? That's what you'd want to find out," he said, "Is he just upset with (the Hornets), or does he not want to play anymore? If he wants to play, then I don't think that (the current injury) would scare teams off. The talent does jump out at you. And he'd have an opportunity to take a physical for another team." NBA trades, however, are not easy to make. If a team is over the salary cap, and only three are under the cap ($43.84 million this year and estimated to be about $44.5 million next year), the Hornets would have to acquire a player or players whose salary would match, within 15 percent, this year's salary of $8.5 million if the deal is reached before July 1, or $9.3 million if a deal is made after that date. . . . . . . . Jimmy Smith can be reached at [email protected] or (504) 826-3814. --

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