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Bismack Biyombo has decided to pay off his $1.5 million buy-out with Spanish club Fuenlabrada, allowing the Congolese big man to join the Charlotte Bobcats.
Spanish club Fuenlabrada is demanding 4 million Euros from Charlotte Bobcats lottery pick Bismack Biyombo, and FIBA will not clear Biyombo's transfer to the NBA until the dispute is resolved, reports Sportando. A Spanish judge has sided with Fuenlabrada, which is seeking a hefty buy-out and fines for several games Biyombo allegedly skipped last season.
Biyombo, Congolese by birth, arrived at Fuenlabrada last year and drew heavy attention for his shotblocking abilities and incredible physical stature. That hype helped him get into the Nike Hoop Summit, where he registered the first triple-double in the history of the event. He ended up going No. 9 overall to the Bobcats in the June draft.
But Fuenlabrada had maintained all along that it would not let Biyombo out of his contract without being compensated. Under NBA rules, teams can only supply $500,000 toward an international contract buy-out. Biyombo is obviously not in a position to make up the rest.
For more on the Bobcats, visit Rufus On Fire.
Bismack Biyombo will not be eligible to play for the Charlotte Bobcats until he settles a contract dispute with Spanish club Fuenlabrada, reports Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. The NBA had requested a letter of clearance from FIBA to assure that Biyombo, picked No. 7 in the 2011 NBA Draft, would be able to play for Charlotte when the 2011-12 season begins. But the Spanish federation blocked the letter of clearance, writes Bonnell, on account of a disputed buyout between Biyombo and Fuenlabrada, for whom the Congolese forward/center played last season.
Fuenlabrada is apparently seeking a $1.4 million buyout from Biyombo. Barring that, the big man would be unavailable for two seasons.
Under the now-expired collective bargaining agreement, NBA teams can only put $500,000 toward a player's buyout. Unless there is a major shift in the rookie scale in a new CBA, Biyombo's first-year salary with the Bobcats would be above $2 million.
The Bobcats traded up to land Biyombo, sending their No. 19 pick, Stephen Jackson and Shaun Livingston to the Milwaukee Bucks and taking back Corey Maggette and the Sacramento Kings' No. 7 pick, which became Biyombo. The Bobcats also picked up Kemba Walker with their own No. 9 pick.
The NBA lockout could be a blessing in disguise: if the NBA season is lost, Biyombo could spend 2011-12 playing for Fuenlabrada and paying down that buyout. He left the team on bad terms in the spring, however, and his agent had said that the club had breached their contract.
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Bismack Biyombo Pays $1.5 Million Buy-Out, Free To Join Bobcats, According To Report
The Associated Press reports that Bismack Biyombo, the No. 7 pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, has paid his $1.5 million buy-out with Spanish club Fuenlabrada, meaning the Congolese big man is free to join the Charlotte Bobcats in time for the 2011-12 season.
Biyombo had lost a civil suit against Fuenlabrada last week, which appeared to block the big man from beginning his rookie season in Queen City. But Biyombo decided to pay off the buy-out instead of waiting for it to expire or for Fuenlabrada to changes its mind. Under NBA rules, the Bobcats can only pay $500,000 to break an international contract, meaning Biyombo had to forfeit the rest of it himself.
Before taxes and any decrease due to the shortened season but after the NBA's escrow pull, Biyombo was slated to make about $2 million from Charlotte this season. That means that (again, after taxes) nearly Biyombo's entire salary will go to Fuenlabrada. He does not exactly seem the type to land a major endorsement, either. It's quite a selfless move on his part.
For more on the Bobcats, Rufus On Fire.
Dec 19 8:59a by Tom Ziller - 1 comment