NBA Owner: In next CBA, Amare only worth $5-6 million per year

[blackbird]

I am a union guy and I support the players' right to get fair compensation. But a strike or work stoppage would just crush my spirit.

Game night is the only time I get to control the TV. If I have to spend next winter watching crime shows and hospital dramas, I may end up being the subject of one of their episodes.

[MBz]

I'm assuming that while theyre trying to figure out the new CBA, the owners are going to attempt to low ball what they really want to do.  The player's will high ball and they'll try to find somewhere in the middle.

[Brickowski]

I also expect a lockout, and would not be surprised to see the NBA miss an entire season, as the NHL did.

It will be interesting to see how many guys jump to Europe to keep some money coming in.

[sk7326]

I expect a lockout - the owners unilaterally wanting to change things.  Players will balk - as the should ... unless management is open with them.  Stern has been tone deaf on a lot of this stuff - not as tone deaf as he was with the ghastly SuperSonics mess, but it could be bad. 

[PLamb]

The problem with the NBA and it's structure is that it is slowly becoming like baseball with the have's and have nots

Boston, the Lakers, New York, Dallas, Houston and a couple of other franchises are always going to have money to spend over the luxury tax level where there are teams that never will

While having the ability to spend in the NBA guarantees nothing, it sure as hell helps

Because of this you will have owners in Charlotte, the Clippers, Memphis, New Orleans, Sacramento, Minnesota and other places that going forward are going to try to band together and force major salary reform to create a fairer playing field

I think things could get messy because I think even amongst owners there will be a divide over what they will settle for collectively from the players

Just one man's opinion

[slamtheking]

I am a union guy and I support the players' right to get fair compensation. But a strike or work stoppage would just crush my spirit.

Game night is the only time I get to control the TV. If I have to spend next winter watching crime shows and hospital dramas, I may end up being the subject of one of their episodes.

There's unions and then there's unions.  A union has its place when it's fighting for fair wages, standard benefits, some job security and safe working environments. 
A union of multi-millionaires that play a game for a living is a whole other thing.  I just have a lot of difficulty feeling sympathy for someone making that kind of money to essentially have fun and not really work.  These guys aren't working in coal mines and are essentially working, on a yearly average, less than what, 2 hours a day if that, which includes practice session and actual time on the court?  Throw in meal stipends during the season and private jets to travel in comfort.

Sorry, not much sympathy for them.  Not saying they shouldn't get a fair cut of the profits, but I'm of the feeling that the product is way overpriced for the average fan currently and that ticket, concession and merchandise fees should come down to a level affordable to the average fan.

[wdleehi]

The problem with the NBA and it's structure is that it is slowly becoming like baseball with the have's and have nots

Boston, the Lakers, New York, Dallas, Houston and a couple of other franchises are always going to have money to spend over the luxury tax level where there are teams that never will

While having the ability to spend in the NBA guarantees nothing, it sure as hell helps

Because of this you will have owners in Charlotte, the Clippers, Memphis, New Orleans, Sacramento, Minnesota and other places that going forward are going to try to band together and force major salary reform to create a fairer playing field

I think things could get messy because I think even amongst owners there will be a divide over what they will settle for collectively from the players

Just one man's opinion

I agree that is the biggest issue.  It is so hard to become a true contender in the NBA. 

The league is centered around the "star".  There are not enough "stars" for even half the NBA teams.  Even if you have a collection of good players, you need at least one to be close being a "star" come playoff time. 


If the NBA wants to help attendance and viewership, they need to make it easier for teams to turn around their fortunes.  Adjust rules to reward having a deep talented team that may not have a "star".  Reward teams for being able to play good defense by not calling the "star" fouls for the other teams. 


That way, no matter how much players are able to make or not, teams have options on how to build a winner, even if it is a team made up of good non "star" players. 


Lets gets some more TEAM into the NBA.

[Roy Hobbs]

I don't have a huge problem with overall compensation.  I'd like to think that if salaries went down, so would ticket prices, but I don't think that would actually happen.  That being the case, I've got no problem with millionaires having the money rather than billionaires.

However, I would like to see more movement in the league.  I think one way you do that is to follow the NFL model of a hard cap, with a bonus structure and non-guaranteed contracts.  That allows teams to get out from under their mistakes, and allows for some degree of parity.

I'd like to see some version of the NFL model, plus some mechanism to give teams more flexibility to make trades (a rarity in the NFL).  I'd also like to see the NBA keep their rookie salary scale.

Perhaps, in balancing everyone's rights, a system where 50% of the length of a player's contract is guaranteed.  I.e., on a five year deal, the first 2.5 years is guaranteed money.  There needs to be something to allow some flexibility.

A smaller fix would be to give teams some sort of amnesty, when they waive a player, where that player disappears from your salary cap / luxury tax after a certain amount of time (maybe a year).

[dlpin]

If the owners do cut salaries dramatically, at what point will players start moving to Europe? Childress makes 6 million a year in Greece.

So I doubt it will go down this much. I think hard caps and contracts that are non guaranteed after a number of years are more likely to be implemented than radical salary changes.

[Chris]

If the owners do cut salaries dramatically, at what point will players start moving to Europe? Childress makes 6 million a year in Greece.

So I doubt it will go down this much. I think hard caps and contracts that are non guaranteed after a number of years are more likely to be implemented than radical salary changes.

If players did start going to Europe en masse, the money would dry up quickly.  They have enough money to cherrypick guys and give them big money, but they do not have the money over there to start throwing big money at multiple players.  There really are only a few teams with the money to even lure NBA role players over, so if they starting trying to pay stars, it won't work in the longrun.

[sk7326]

I am a union guy and I support the players' right to get fair compensation. But a strike or work stoppage would just crush my spirit.

Game night is the only time I get to control the TV. If I have to spend next winter watching crime shows and hospital dramas, I may end up being the subject of one of their episodes.

There's unions and then there's unions.  A union has its place when it's fighting for fair wages, standard benefits, some job security and safe working environments. 
A union of multi-millionaires that play a game for a living is a whole other thing.  I just have a lot of difficulty feeling sympathy for someone making that kind of money to essentially have fun and not really work.  These guys aren't working in coal mines and are essentially working, on a yearly average, less than what, 2 hours a day if that, which includes practice session and actual time on the court?  Throw in meal stipends during the season and private jets to travel in comfort.

Sorry, not much sympathy for them.  Not saying they shouldn't get a fair cut of the profits, but I'm of the feeling that the product is way overpriced for the average fan currently and that ticket, concession and merchandise fees should come down to a level affordable to the average fan.

Ticket prices have nothing to do with player compensation.  This is one of the great successful memes perpetrated by owners.  After all do you think owners roll back ticket prices if they go into fire sale mode?  Ticket prices and stuff are overpriced, but blame the market segment the NBA is gunning for (basically super rich people).  

Players are basically asking for their marginal revenue - paid for the revenue they produce.  Obviously that is not realistic given these are profit making ventures.  But it is the holy grail and stuff will be negotiated on that basis.  I don't weep for them obviously - but in the Dickens novel here, they are the clear protagonists.

The maximum contract length and maximum raises will be attacked by owners in the next CBA.  I think a 5 year maximum is going to be the goal - incredibly silly of course, since the owners are grownups and should be free to spend as stupidly as they want.  The rookie scale of course is blatantly unfair - but given the way of the world, it is small negotiating potatoes.  The league will try to move the age limit up to 20 most likely - I read it is an interest of Stern's (for marketing purposes) - but I am not sure if the league will fall on its sword for that.  It's a potentially dangerous move in the land of race relations, and could be a godsend to European basketball.    

[dlpin]

If the owners do cut salaries dramatically, at what point will players start moving to Europe? Childress makes 6 million a year in Greece.

So I doubt it will go down this much. I think hard caps and contracts that are non guaranteed after a number of years are more likely to be implemented than radical salary changes.

If players did start going to Europe en masse, the money would dry up quickly.  They have enough money to cherrypick guys and give them big money, but they do not have the money over there to start throwing big money at multiple players.  There really are only a few teams with the money to even lure NBA role players over, so if they starting trying to pay stars, it won't work in the longrun.

Maybe not, but if the max the NBA can offer is, say 7 million, Im sure that there would be enough money to lure at least a couple of borderline stars. And we would have even more Euro players reluctant to come over.

[wdleehi]

If the owners do cut salaries dramatically, at what point will players start moving to Europe? Childress makes 6 million a year in Greece.

So I doubt it will go down this much. I think hard caps and contracts that are non guaranteed after a number of years are more likely to be implemented than radical salary changes.

If players did start going to Europe en masse, the money would dry up quickly.  They have enough money to cherrypick guys and give them big money, but they do not have the money over there to start throwing big money at multiple players.  There really are only a few teams with the money to even lure NBA role players over, so if they starting trying to pay stars, it won't work in the longrun.

Maybe not, but if the max the NBA can offer is, say 7 million, Im sure that there would be enough money to lure at least a couple of borderline stars. And we would have even more Euro players reluctant to come over.

Top stars will not go.  Most of their money comes from advertising.  Advertising wants them in the NBA where they get the exposier these compainies want. 


How many of Childress' games have been televised in the US?

[Roy Hobbs]

If the owners do cut salaries dramatically, at what point will players start moving to Europe? Childress makes 6 million a year in Greece.

So I doubt it will go down this much. I think hard caps and contracts that are non guaranteed after a number of years are more likely to be implemented than radical salary changes.

If players did start going to Europe en masse, the money would dry up quickly.  They have enough money to cherrypick guys and give them big money, but they do not have the money over there to start throwing big money at multiple players.  There really are only a few teams with the money to even lure NBA role players over, so if they starting trying to pay stars, it won't work in the longrun.

Maybe not, but if the max the NBA can offer is, say 7 million, Im sure that there would be enough money to lure at least a couple of borderline stars. And we would have even more Euro players reluctant to come over.

Top stars will not go.  Most of their money comes from advertising.  Advertising wants them in the NBA where they get the exposier these compainies want. 


How many of Childress' games have been televised in the US?

Also, there's simply no way that the NBA is going to be able to cut the max salary by 60% - 70%.

[slamtheking]

I am a union guy and I support the players' right to get fair compensation. But a strike or work stoppage would just crush my spirit.

Game night is the only time I get to control the TV. If I have to spend next winter watching crime shows and hospital dramas, I may end up being the subject of one of their episodes.

There's unions and then there's unions.  A union has its place when it's fighting for fair wages, standard benefits, some job security and safe working environments.  
A union of multi-millionaires that play a game for a living is a whole other thing.  I just have a lot of difficulty feeling sympathy for someone making that kind of money to essentially have fun and not really work.  These guys aren't working in coal mines and are essentially working, on a yearly average, less than what, 2 hours a day if that, which includes practice session and actual time on the court?  Throw in meal stipends during the season and private jets to travel in comfort.

Sorry, not much sympathy for them.  Not saying they shouldn't get a fair cut of the profits, but I'm of the feeling that the product is way overpriced for the average fan currently and that ticket, concession and merchandise fees should come down to a level affordable to the average fan.

Ticket prices have nothing to do with player compensation.  This is one of the great successful memes perpetrated by owners.  After all do you think owners roll back ticket prices if they go into fire sale mode?  Ticket prices and stuff are overpriced, but blame the market segment the NBA is gunning for (basically super rich people).  

Players are basically asking for their marginal revenue - paid for the revenue they produce.  Obviously that is not realistic given these are profit making ventures.  But it is the holy grail and stuff will be negotiated on that basis.  I don't weep for them obviously - but in the Dickens novel here, they are the clear protagonists.

The maximum contract length and maximum raises will be attacked by owners in the next CBA.  I think a 5 year maximum is going to be the goal - incredibly silly of course, since the owners are grownups and should be free to spend as stupidly as they want.  The rookie scale of course is blatantly unfair - but given the way of the world, it is small negotiating potatoes.  The league will try to move the age limit up to 20 most likely - I read it is an interest of Stern's (for marketing purposes) - but I am not sure if the league will fall on its sword for that.  It's a potentially dangerous move in the land of race relations, and could be a godsend to European basketball.    

Don't get me wrong---I'm not stating player salaries are the main driver of ticket prices, but they are indeed a factor.  I also don't anticipate owners rolling back ticket prices (much) should the salaries dramatically drop --- even though they should.  
However, should player salaries be cut significantly, the owners have nowhere to point for the outrageous costs other than their own greedy little selves.  And it's not like the NBA will be paying anything close to minimum wage for even its worst players hanging on at the end of team rosters.