The NFL is the only place where someone can be absent from something that's voluntary.

Kind of a contradiction in terms, there, isn't it?

An individual makes a choice to be at a voluntary activity, last I checked.

So there's no reason to do any back flips or have palpitations over the fact Kellen Winslow chose to miss the voluntary part of the team's offseason activities.

Come Sunday — or Monday or Saturday or Thursday or whenever else the Browns play — Winslow will be there. That is what matters.

Winslow is dedicated, but he has missed enough games — first to a broken leg, then to a severe knee injury in a motorcycle accident.

So he will not miss more games for mundane reasons, including putting his contract status before his ability to play.

Sometimes these stories about players take on a life of their own. Part of this is the constant nature of the NFL, where practices never end and where the news never stops. If Hillary Clinton wants her campaign to get a boost, she really ought to consult with the NFL. The league keeps itself in the news every day of the year.

I've actually heard recent discussion about the trauma caused by the fact that training camp rosters will be limited to 80 players.

Eighty players?

How will a team be able to set up that first-play dive up the middle with only 80 players in camp?

So the offseason comes and these ridiculous OTAs are held. We all know teams don't practice plays enough in training camp and during the season, and we know that because they can't get lined up right or snap the ball without moving. So making guys practice them 878,124 times makes them sharper. At least that's the thinking.

The collective bargaining agreement mandates that these OTAs — (wouldn't you have enjoyed being in the meeting where that name was agreed upon?) — are voluntary.

Which means if a guy doesn't want to be there, he doesn't have to be. There are no repercussions, or at least there are not supposed to be.

Now, teams go to great lengths to make them mandatory. The practices become so important that missing would require a Ph.D. in archaeology to learn what was missed. These OTAs are the time when the quadratic equation is rewritten and relearning that in training camp is impossible.

As Ty Detmer once said, in the NFL, voluntary means, ''You better be there.''

But you don't have to be.

In OTAs — OK, it stands for Organized Team Activities, which is a good thing, because without the name we'd never be able to tell they're organized — guys wear shorts.

That tells you one thing: Whether a guy can run.

It's as ridiculous as this combine activity, where teams force potential draftees to parade through a room wearing only their underwear. There's something creepy about that.

Want to learn something about a player? Put him in pads.

Which brings us back to Winslow.

Because when he puts the pads on, there's not much more he can show us. He has played through a knee injury that would have most of us heading for a walker. He has played through pain that would sideline many. He has played tough, hard and he has been as dedicated a player as there has been on the team.

He is staying in San Diego to work with the same guy he has worked with his entire career.

Consider this fact: Last year, Winslow could not practice because of microfracture surgery, but he knew a new offense was being installed. (There's another NFL word — installed — sheesh, what's wrong with ''practiced''?)

To learn the offense, Winslow showed up early every day and attended every quarterback meeting. He volunteered to do that.

So do not question his commitment.

Sure, he wants more money. He has said it. But find me a pro athlete these days who thinks he's overpaid and I'll start serving soy milk at backyard barbecues and calling it beer.

Winslow falls into a large category of players who might want more money.

But come Sunday, Winslow plays.

He tied a record for catches two years ago, and last season, he led the team with 82 catches. He also had a catch for the ages in Arizona that would have won a game if it had been taken away by a bad call.

There was no other player on the team who would have made the effort Winslow did for that pass, and no other player who could have caught that pass.

A few years ago, I asked a Browns player about a teammate and he said (to paraphrase): ''I don't like him much, but he's there on Sunday.''

Winslow is missing OTAs?

Big deal.

He'll be there on Sunday.

CAVALIERS

I know it's hard to think the Cavaliers could replace what Wally Szczerbiak gave them in Game 7 in Boston, but they do need to get better, and Szczerbiak is one key piece of any possible trade puzzle.

There's a lot of talk about acquiring Michael Redd from the Milwaukee Bucks, and it might be realistic.

The Bucks have a new GM and a new coach, and there seems to be a strong feeling from Milwaukee that Redd will be traded. A rebuilding team does not want $50 million in future contracts gumming up the works.

Redd, a career 20-point scorer, averaged 22.7 points per game last season, his lowest since 2002-03. He and LeBron James have played together on Team USA, and his scoring could be energized playing on the same team as James.

A lineup that includes Delonte West and Redd at guard is pretty appealing.

Redd will make $15.8 million, $17 million and $18.3 million (player option) the next three seasons. The Cavs have Szczerbiak's $13 million and Damon Jones' $4.5 million in expiring contracts to work with.

There's another piece I would consider.

That is Anderson Varejao, who will be paid $5.8 million this year (with a player option for 2009-10).

Varejao didn't exactly distinguish himself in the playoffs, and the deal he signed allows him to be a free agent after next season. As the season went on, he did not much like the idea of sharing time with Ben Wallace. When he was a restricted free agent, he did all he could to get out of Cleveland.

Too, the NBA is going to fine teams for flopping next season, and that might mean Dan Gilbert would go in the red with Varejao around.

He could be appealing to the Bucks, because they need rebounding. If he plays well, he could remain with the Bucks. He doesn't, the Bucks get more salary-cap space to rebuild.

So why not think about moving a guy who decided at some point that he was Julius Erving and hurt the team with his driving spins to the basket?

If the Cavs want size back, they could ask for Charlie Villanueva, who is 6-foot-11 and a decent scorer. He also wears a headband, which would fit in with James.

They could even discuss a future first-round draft pick, though NBA rules do limit that option a bit.

Redd and Villanueva for Szczerbiak and Varejao and a potential future draft pick.

Is this possible?

I have no idea, but I'd sure look into it. Aggressively.

RANDOM THOUGHTS

• You dive into the world of the NBA playoffs for a couple of months and when you come up for air, there's quite a bit happening.

For one, it now costs more to fill your tank twice than it does to buy a bike.

So perhaps it's time to go back and get one of those ''banana'' bikes to get around.

Remember those?

With the long seat and high handlebars?

Banana bikes. The past becomes the future. . . .

• Besides Redd, there's also talk of the Cavs going after T.J. Ford from the Toronto Raptors, but Cavs coach Mike Brown has shown he likes big guards, not small ones. And Baron Davis could opt out of his contract, which has one year left, in Golden State. You'd have to be a believer in OTAs not to like the idea of Davis joining James. But a trade could be tough because the Warriors might want actual players and not expiring contracts.

Me, I like Redd.

Really, I like green 'cuz of the Irish heritage. But for the Cavs, Redd is it. . . .

• San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich had this reaction when the NBA said a foul should have been called when Los Angeles Lakers guard Derek Fisher jumped into Brent Barry as he lined up for a 3-point shot late in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals. Fisher pretty much prevented Barry from getting off any shot. It was a foul live, it was a foul on replay and it was a foul on YouTube. But no foul was called.

''That's a great help,'' Popovich said when the league rode in on a banana bike to admit the mistake. ''I'll send some flowers to the NBA. . . .''

• The explanation for the no-call is that refs don't want to decide the game, the players should. That a ref's call should not affect the outcome.

Well, guess what?

The no-call affected the outcome. If a guy can't get a good shot off to try to win or tie because he's fouled, one might surmise the outcome has been affected. . . .

• It's things like this that lead to conspiracy theories — because the Lakers benefited and the ideal thing for the league would be a Lakers-Celtics Finals.

Just a coincidence. . . .

• Conspiracy theory Part II: When the Lakers win the title, remember these names: Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie, Marc Gasol, a banana bike and draft picks. That's the list of flotsam the Lakers used to acquire Pau Gasol. . . .

• I've about had it with watching Kevin Garnett bang his head against the basket support. . . .

• Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson reportedly has not paid his property taxes for four years. That's $13,000 in arrears. No wonder the guy needs a new contract. . . .

• Pete Rose first said he didn't bet on baseball, then said he didn't bet on the Cincinnati Reds, then wrote in his book that he bet $1,000 on baseball games. This past week on the Dan Patrick Show, he said he bet $2,000 on the Reds, but, of course, it never had a thing to do with strategy or pitching. This essentially sums up why Rose continues to be banned from baseball. . . .

• I'm riding my banana bike home. . . .

Until next time, there you have it.