New York, NY (Sports Network) - An arbitrator has ruled in favor of several
NBA players regarding their signing rights.
"The NBA announced today that a decision has been issued in the recent
arbitration proceeding brought by the Players Association on behalf of Jeremy
Lin, Steve Novak, Chauncey Billups, and J.J. Hickson," the league said in a
statement. "In that decision, arbitrator Kenneth Dam ruled that players who
are claimed off of waivers have the same "Bird" or "Early Bird" rights that
they would have if they were traded."
The four listed above were named in a proceeding filed on their behalf by the
NBA Players Association. The decision, made public on Friday afternoon, stated
that any team which seeks to re-sign a player who was originally claimed off
waivers, can do so by violating the salary cap.
The NBA also said it will appeal the ruling.
The Sports Network