NBA: In Toronto, Craig Daniels reports that Raptors
coach Butch Carter, who was fired yesterday, "was still
owed" C$6M over the remaining three years as part of his
contract, but there was a clause in the final year that "did
not guarantee the full amount unless" Carter guided the team
to the playoffs for two seasons. Carter took the team to
the playoffs only once and Daniels writes that the amount of
a payout "was likely going to fall into" the C$5M range, so
Raptors co-Owner Larry Tanenbaum had to "get hold of" the
banks that "held the covenant" on the team's debt at Air
Canada Centre and the franchise itself to "get them to sign
off on another $5 million for Carter." Otherwise, the
buyout "would have be[en] taken from" the player salary
budget (TORONTO SUN, 6/14)....In Dallas, Marc Stein reports
that Mavericks assistant coaches Del Harris, Sidney Moncrief
and Donnie Nelson will all earn between $500,000-800,000
next season, "well in excess" of the league average for top
assistants, which "was just under" $350,000 this season
(DMN, 6/14)....In Cincinnati, James Pilcher writes that the
possibility of putting an NBA team in the city "is so far-
fetched that most experts hoot it down." Pilcher cited
three reasons: the lack of an "outside money source willing
to pay" an estimated $150M to acquire an existing team; the
lack of an arena that "lives up to NBA money-making
standards"; and the lack of "political and emotional will"
by the local general public (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 6/14).
NOTES: In Calgary, Jason Van Rassel reports that as of
yesterday, the Flames have sold 12,033 season tickets, and
Vice Chair Harley Hotchkiss said that he's "confident" the
team will reach its goal of 14,000 by the June 30 deadline
(CALGARY SUN, 6/14)....In the first of a two-part series on
the relationship between the Flyers and C Eric Lindros, the
PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS' Edward Moran writes under the sub-
header, "Mistrust Between Flyers, Lindros Has A Long
History." Moran: "Is there anything that could be said or
done in a meeting between the Flyers and the Lindros family
that could end the war that exists between them?"
(PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 6/14)....In Milwaukee, Michael
Bauman, noting that the Bengals have placed a "loyalty
clause" into new player contracts that stipulates if a
player makes critical remarks, he could forfeit part or all
of his signing bonus, writes: "This sort of thing is the
tactic that Joe might have used. As in Joe McCarthy. This
is the stuff of gulags and witch hunts. It is also
overkill" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 6/14).
