The New York Knicks, upon learning that Antonio McDyess will miss the entire 2002-03 season with a fractured knee cap, have applied to the NBA office for a disabled player exception.

	NBA doctors must confirm that Antonio McDyess is done for the season.

Will they get it? Historically, the league has been stingy when handing out exceptions to the salary cap. The exception allows a team over the cap to acquire someone (via trade or free agency) to replace the injured player. The maximum salary for the replacement player is 50 percent of the injured player's salary, or 108 percent of the league average salary for the previous season, whichever is less. In this case, the Knicks can get $4.58 million for McDyess.

Last season, the Rockets received a full exception after Maurice Taylor tore his ACL. The Grizzlies, 76ers and Knicks also received one last year when Bryant Reeves, Matt Geiger and Luc Longley retired from the league.

It's not always a cut-and-dried decision, however. League doctors will examine the medical evidence to determine if McDyess will really miss the entire season. The league denied the Nets' request for a medical exception for Kerry Kittles in 2000 after determining that he could have been healthy enough to play before the season ended. The Heat received an exception for Alonzo Mourning in 2000 after he was diagnosed with a kidney illness, but they were denied the same exception for Mourning's illness this season. The league reasoned that a team cannot use an exception twice for the same injury.

If granted, the Knicks will have 45 days to use the exception. The more pressing question is whether there is anyone out there worth the Knicks' money? Last season, the Knicks couldn't find anyone to use their Longley exception. The Grizzlies, 76ers and Rockets also failed to use their exception before the deadline.

This year, the free agent market is essentially dried up. If the Knicks are looking for an impact player, they'll likely trade the exception to a team trying to clear cap space. By doing so, the Knicks could take a player making up to $4.58 million without sending back a player making an equivalent salary.

Chad Ford writes the daily NBA Insider column for ESPN Insider. To get a free 30-day trial, click here.