LeBron complaining about all star game

[Moranis]

If your analysis is correct, they made a mistake. I’m willing to bet that the increased risk (I’m still not convinced there is much) is outweighed by revenue gains because the people making this decision are experts compared to us. We don’t even know the protocols. What if it’s a 72 hour quarantine + bubble situation?

Either way, it still doesn’t excuse any of this. Playing basketball is an optional activity. There should be alignment between players and league on the most bang for buck on revenue gains for their risk. Extremely wealthy people who don’t need to play basketball ever again like LeBron James have a different viewpoint than someone like Jayson Tatum who would love to get another max contract to setup his family for many generations, which includes being involved in all star games. So yeah it’s a bit hypocritical for him to think his health is worth more than financial targets after he’s already almost done in the league.

Except Fox said the same thing the day before.  Fox needs that big contract and he thought it was a bad idea. 

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/30834627/sacramento-kings-star-deaaron-fox-nba-plans-all-star-game-think-stupid

"If I'm going to be brutally honest, I think it's stupid," Fox said after leading the Kings to a victory over the Boston Celtics. "If we have to wear a mask and do all of this for a regular game, then what's the point of bringing the All-Star Game back?

"Obviously, money makes the world go round, so it is what it is."

Despite his reference to the NBA's coronavirus-related protocols, Fox said he is "not really worried" about playing in the All-Star Game if selected.

"If I get voted in, so be it," he said.

"You know you get fined -- if you're supposed to be in it and you're not hurt and you decide not to play, that's a hefty fine," he said. "So hell yeah, I would play in it."

So the league is playing a stupid game that they are requiring the players to play in or they get a hefty fine.  Just not a good look for the league, especially requiring players to play in it.  At least make it optional so the guys that want to play can, but the guys that don't want to play aren't penalized financially for not doing so.

[Moranis]

It also appears Lebron opened the flood gate. 

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/30843764/milwaukee-bucks-giannis-antetokounmpo-care-all-star-game


Giannis

"I think every player was looking forward to those five days, seven days, whatever the days are. We've got to all follow the big dog," Antetokounmpo said, referring to James. "The big dog says he has zero excitement and zero energy for the All-Star Game, and I'm the same way. I really right now don't care about the All-Star Game. We cannot see our families.

"Like, I can't worry about the All-Star Game. I want to see my family. I want to go see my little brother in Spain, I want my brother to come see me," he added. "So I'm the same way. I've got zero energy, zero excitement. At the end of the day, if they tell us we're gonna show up, we've got to do our job. I'm always gonna do my job. I'm always showing up, showing the right example. But at the end of the day inside, deep down, I don't want to do it. I want to get some break."

"At the end of the day, if we have the All-Star Game, I hope fans can be there and we can give back to them," Antetokounmpo said. "At the end of the day, if we have the All-Star Game just to have the All-Star Game and have no fans, I don't see the point of having the All-Star Game."

I thought about it, obviously. Coming into the season, what we knew was there's not going to be an All-Star Game, it was going to be a time to spend time with our family," Antetokounmpo said. "Obviously, when the protocol changes it's kind of hard because on the road, your family cannot come on the road. Back home you cannot leave the house, you only can go to the practice facility or to the arena, and you don't have time to take your family to a nice dinner or your family coming on the road or like just escaping the game."

Harden

"There's so much going on as far as we're trying to calm the virus down -- and we're putting on an event, you know?" Harden said. "I know what the reasoning is for, but I feel like, especially with a condensed schedule, it feels like everything was forced upon players. It's already draining to be playing a lot of games in a week. I feel like that was a week for us to kind of relax, be with our families and kind of take a step back away from basketball."

Kawhi

Leonard said the league's decision is a matter of valuing "money over health."

"I mean, we all know why we are playing it. You know, there's money on the line," he said. "It's an opportunity to make more money. ... Just putting money over health right now, pretty much. Yeah, we are playing games now, and it is still a pandemic. We are doing all these protocols and rules, so it doesn't really surprise me."

Chris Paul (President of the Union) defended the decision

"Guys are entitled to their feelings, decisions and everything," Paul said. "I think the job for the union is to try to make sure our players are healthy and safe. This is something that was a decision by the league, and we are definitely, day in and day out, trying to figure it out. But we have 450 players that we are always trying to get insight from, and it's tough, so we are trying to figure it out right now."

"We get on calls and we try to figure it out with different situations of guys who've been playing a lot of games who haven't really had much of breaks," Paul said. "I'm sure I'm not the only guy in the league that lives without their family, so guys look at that break as an opportunity to see their families.

"... The union has always got the full body of players in mind. But emotions happen, guys have feelings and you gotta be able to express them, and I respect that."

[Erik]

So? Who are they to make financial or health decisions for the league? If they don’t want to play basketball for the NBA there are some other leagues around the world. They don’t seem to be upset that they’re risking COVID for their salaries.

It’s like when regular employees at a company think that they can make better company decisions than executives. It’s just a major disconnect between what the players play for (their salary and championships) and what the NBA actually is (a business). “I just want to win titles, get a lot of money, not answer to the media, not play anything extra.”

Someone that is paid a lot of money has come to the analysis that the all star game is worth any additional health risk, and the NBAPA and League have agreed... and no one knows the protocols yet.

I’m not sure what else there is to comment here.

[Sophomore]

So? Who are they to make financial or health decisions for the league? If they don’t want to play basketball for the NBA there are some other leagues around the world. They don’t seem to be upset that they’re risking COVID for their salaries.

It’s like when regular employees at a company think that they can make better company decisions than executives. It’s just a major disconnect between what the players play for (their salary and championships) and what the NBA actually is (a business). “I just want to win titles, get a lot of money, not answer to the media, not play anything extra.”

Someone that is paid a lot of money has come to the analysis that the all star game is worth any additional health risk, and the NBAPA and League have agreed... and no one knows the protocols yet.

I’m not sure what else there is to comment here.

This season is fairly nuts. Compressed schedule of back to backs and short rest; team protocols that tell traveling teams not to leave the hotel. It’s a heck of a lot. In almost any company, if you push people harder and harder they complain. Sometimes managers do make bad decisions.

[Erik]

Totally get it. We’re all done with COVID and restrictions. I just think that it doesn’t make a lot of sense to publicly bad mouth a business decision made by your employer, supported by your union. It’s just a bad look for guys like LeBron who don’t need an NBA paycheck anymore to fuel drama over this. Their words can and will cause fans to not tune in. Which one of these guys are going to take a pay cut if we find out revenue is down again this year ?

[CelticsElite]

They are all lazy bums. They want the paycheck without the hard work. I imagine the dream team players would have never said any of This crap


How long until we hear the whining about wanting to be paid to play for team usa at the Tokyo olympics this summer ?

[gouki88]

They are all lazy bums. They want the paycheck without the hard work. I imagine the dream team players would have never said any of This crap


How long until we hear the whining about wanting to be paid to play for team usa at the Tokyo olympics this summer ?

Nice and levelheaded

[Sophomore]

Totally get it. We’re all done with COVID and restrictions. I just think that it doesn’t make a lot of sense to publicly bad mouth a business decision made by your employer, supported by your union. It’s just a bad look for guys like LeBron who don’t need an NBA paycheck anymore to fuel drama over this. Their words can and will cause fans to not tune in. Which one of these guys are going to take a pay cut if we find out revenue is down again this year ?

They all will - it’s in the collective bargaining agreement. The salary you hear about on the news is what the players earn if the league earns the amount predicted at the start of the year. If league revenues go down the players make less.

Here’s how it works. Under the CBA, the owners get 51% of basketball-related income and players get 49%. Players get paychecks during the season based on the headline salary number, but some of the money is paid into an escrow account. The player only get to keep the escrow money if the league hits the earnings target - if not, some or all of the money goes back to the league. The escrow works pretty well in normal times, but with the dive last year (not due only to COVID!) they had to figure out how to bring down salaries even more. There was a lot of bargaining - should the cap come down for this year, should players pay a lot more into escrow? Here’s one story, there are others.

https://yucommentator.org/2020/09/covid-19s-impact-on-nba-salaries/

[Moranis]

So? Who are they to make financial or health decisions for the league? If they don’t want to play basketball for the NBA there are some other leagues around the world. They don’t seem to be upset that they’re risking COVID for their salaries.

It’s like when regular employees at a company think that they can make better company decisions than executives. It’s just a major disconnect between what the players play for (their salary and championships) and what the NBA actually is (a business). “I just want to win titles, get a lot of money, not answer to the media, not play anything extra.”

Someone that is paid a lot of money has come to the analysis that the all star game is worth any additional health risk, and the NBAPA and League have agreed... and no one knows the protocols yet.

I’m not sure what else there is to comment here.

The All Star game isn't what they are paid to do.  It is an exhibition.  A mandatory exhibition that does nothing.  What if the Celtics season is ruined because Tatum or Brown comes down with Covid because they were forced to play in the All Star game.  That just doesn't seem like something their employer would be all for. 

Playing the all star game in the middle of a pandemic is a terrible idea.  the NFL canceled the Pro Bowl because it is an exhibition. 

It is a terrible look for the league and when both established players like Lebron, Giannis, Kawhi, and Harden are joined by rising stars like Fox, the league should listen and they shouldn't force the stars to play if they don't want.  Because this really does only affect the stars.  The Semi Ojeleye's of the world shouldn't really have much say in this because the Semi Ojeleye's of the world aren't going to be forced to play in a meaningless game.

[Kernewek]

Totally get it. We’re all done with COVID and restrictions. I just think that it doesn’t make a lot of sense to publicly bad mouth a business decision made by your employer, supported by your union. It’s just a bad look for guys like LeBron who don’t need an NBA paycheck anymore to fuel drama over this. Their words can and will cause fans to not tune in. Which one of these guys are going to take a pay cut if we find out revenue is down again this year ?

They all will - it’s in the collective bargaining agreement. The salary you hear about on the news is what the players earn if the league earns the amount predicted at the start of the year. If league revenues go down the players make less.

Here’s how it works. Under the CBA, the owners get 51% of basketball-related income and players get 49%. Players get paychecks during the season based on the headline salary number, but some of the money is paid into an escrow account. The player only get to keep the escrow money if the league hits the earnings target - if not, some or all of the money goes back to the league. The escrow works pretty well in normal times, but with the dive last year (not due only to COVID!) they had to figure out how to bring down salaries even more. There was a lot of bargaining - should the cap come down for this year, should players pay a lot more into escrow? Here’s one story, there are others.

https://yucommentator.org/2020/09/covid-19s-impact-on-nba-salaries/

Exactly: they all will because the salary cap and the escrow account are both tied to league revenue.