Glenn Rogers of the San Antonio Express-News reports: "It's going to get ugly, I think," says Keith Glass, veteran agent. He's referring to the negotiations for the next collective bargaining agreement.

The players association probably will try to abolish the luxury tax and the escrow fund that taxes players' salaries. The league will try to tighten regulations still further, say by getting rid of the Larry Bird exception, a wrinkle that allows teams to pay their own free agents any amount regardless of where it stands vis-?-vis the cap.

But that battle is a few years away. And there's no guarantee that the players will fight to the last man standing ? or to a strike situation. Right now, in the words of several agents, most players are fat and happy.

Still, some talent gets left out, such as Mason, such as Chris Gatling, such as Jimmy Jackson. Some talented veterans, such as Mitch Richmond, will settle for the minimum.

"Teams don't know how to manage the cap," says Glass.