unfair competition and 'insider trading' in the NBA is a problem

[Irish Stew]

The NBA offseason is like soap opera for guys. They aren't changing something that keeps the league in the public eye 365 days a year. These threads seem to pop up mostly when the the Lakers appear to be close to a guy that they usually wind up whiffing on. The complaints are generally few and far between when it comes to KG or Kemba. It's time for us to put on our big boy pants and just accept that LA will always have certain advantages. Tampering always seems to be something that the other guys do, not us.

[Erik]

It’s a fair point in terms of LA free agency or location of team being a problem, but I don’t see the connection to insider trading. You’re acting as if only Lakers players are able to communicate with free agents. If all players can do it, there is nothing unfair in the “market.”

Have you read Animal Farm? There is a famous quote in there about equality.

Again, you’re conflating insider trading with your perception of fairness. Insider trading has absolutely nothing to do with this situation because the NBA is not a true market. I put it in quotes earlier because we’re not selling apples to the highest bidder here.

[KGs Knee]

Uh...Kemba Walker anyone?

We're just upset because LA lures a higher quality of star than Boston can.  And not just that, but most of them seem to dislike Boston.

It's quite frustrating watching this forum go through it's 'jilted lover' phase.

[Ogaju]

It’s a fair point in terms of LA free agency or location of team being a problem, but I don’t see the connection to insider trading. You’re acting as if only Lakers players are able to communicate with free agents. If all players can do it, there is nothing unfair in the “market.”

Have you read Animal Farm? There is a famous quote in there about equality.

Again, you’re conflating insider trading with your perception of fairness. Insider trading has absolutely nothing to do with this situation because the NBA is not a true market. I put it in quotes earlier because we’re not selling apples to the highest bidder here.

it was an analogy to explain how other situations deal with unfair competition. The NBA has a rule against tampering just like the SEC has a rule against insider trading. To give the rule some teeth the SEC broadened the definition of insider. To give teeth to the anti tampering rules the NBA must broaden the definition of 'team' to include players, former players, and other 'insiders'. Perhaps a more apt example is the NCAA and their rules on who is a booster for recruiting purposes. The booster definition is broad enough to include alumni, season ticket holders, support group members, etc. You cannot just restrict anti tampering rules to team management, that is SILLY.

There is a trial lawyer in LA, Jacob Emrani, who is a Laker fan (most likely season ticket holder) and he had billboards courting LeBron James when James was still with Cavs. If you let teams tamper through proxies you might as well just lift the anti-tampering rules.

You say the NBA is not a true market, if you believe that, why are you advocating free market solutions?

[dreamgreen]

The NBA could easily fix the superteam thing. Hard cap with no player maximum. But they won’t do it because superteams are great for ratings.

The league actually can't do that, at least not without the agreement of the players. The league cannot simply implement rules, they have a collective bargaining agreement. The players will never agree to a hard cap.

The owners could push for that in the next CBA. Players can wine all they want but if there is still a structure to get them the same % of the revenue as they currently get then it's totally do able. You have to remember there are a LOT more lower waged players than max guys and I'm sure many of them get sick of the super teams so they can vote for fairness. IMO it would be nice to see teams that run a good franchise to be rewarded for it no matter where they are located.

[footey]

When does the current CBA expire?

I expect a lockout. Some fundamental issues.