Player Salary Cuts

[Phil125]

Stern says he wants to cut every teams payroll by a third.

I guess there will be no basketball next year.  I find that being a hard pill for the players to swallow. 

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5711172

[GreenEnvy]

Stern says he wants to cut every teams payroll by a third.

I guess there will be no basketball next year.  I find that being a hard pill for the players to swallow. 

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5711172

It's hard to make a strong case that teams are in such dire straights when they threw money around like drunken sailors this past summer.

If nobody offered them an absurd amount, they'd be forced to take what they are worth. I don't believe in a small market "having" to overpay a player because they have to, especially when it is a marginal player. Is Darko the answer in Minny? Or will Salmons take the Bucks to the next level? Joe Mauer probably took LESS to stay in Minnesota. KG restructured his deal. They may be special cases, but they exist.

These two sides seem to be a ways apart right now, and more importantly, not much (or any) closer than they were a year ago.

I really hope a season isn't missed because of greed. I can live with a shortened season (heck, that might even help the Celtics), but missing a whole season will be pretty depressing.

[crownsy]

The whole "oh the poor owners, the athletes are bankrupting them" took a real public opinion hit with the release of baseball, traditionally the poor criers, were outed as pretty big frauds by those accounting leaks.

I also think football, if the owners keep it up, will sour fans to the "poor owners" issue by locking players who want to play out.

Both sides will lose, but i think players in both sports are doing a better job of keeping the discussion focused on owner greed instead of the traditional "players are overpaid babies" argument the owners resort to.

[Phil125]

I think the NBA needs the guaranteed/nonguaranteed contracts like the NFL.   So many crap players do not live up to contracts that it cripples alot of teams.  Many times its the ownerships fault, but I would love to get rid of the "contract years" in the nba. (IE Mark Blount)

[Fan from VT]

The whole "oh the poor owners, the athletes are bankrupting them" took a real public opinion hit with the release of baseball, traditionally the poor criers, were outed as pretty big frauds by those accounting leaks.

I also think football, if the owners keep it up, will sour fans to the "poor owners" issue by locking players who want to play out.

Both sides will lose, but i think players in both sports are doing a better job of keeping the discussion focused on owner greed instead of the traditional "players are overpaid babies" argument the owners resort to.

And the owners are doing a pretty good job of it too:

Amir Johnson: 5 yr 34 mil.
Hakim Warrick: 4 yr 18 mil.
Travis Outlaw: 5 yr 35 mil.
Channing Frye: 5 yr 30 mil.
Rudy Gay: 6 yr 80 mil.
Joe Johnson: 6 yr 120 mil.
David Lee: 6 yr 80 mil.
Wes Matthews: 5 yr 34 mil.
John Salmons: 5 yr 40 mil.
Drew Gooden: 5 yr 32 mil.
Ty Thomas: 5 yr 40 mil.

Who made GMs sign those deals? Against whom were they bidding? But yeah, owners are strapped for cash.

[indeedproceed]

I wish both sides would stop saying silly things and just speak honestly. Owners know they won't cut salaries by 1/3. Basketball players know the only players who don't wish they were basketball players are baseball players.

[pearljammer10]

The salaries wont be cut by a third, but i hate to say it, I completely agree with Stern on this one. Players salaries should be cut by 1/3 or even more. It has become sickening to see players make boatloads of money, and yet still complain and play lazy careless basketball.

[GreenEnvy]

I think the NBA needs the guaranteed/nonguaranteed contracts like the NFL.   So many crap players do not live up to contracts that it cripples alot of teams.  Many times its the ownerships fault, but I would love to get rid of the "contract years" in the nba. (IE Mark Blount)

I personally think the "expiring contract" is an exceptional trade asset in the NBA unlike any other sport.

I really don't think the NBA has a problem. They max out contracts, so LeBron couldn't get an ARod-like half a billion dollar contract for the next 15 seasons.

They make it pretty level, with the current team at a slight advantage. Their draft slots are indisputable, without the option of ridiculous signing bonuses like in the NFL and MLB.

The salary match for teams over the cap is great as well.

I think you have to keep the guaranteed contracts.


I don't know where the problem is, honestly. If it is just the amount they are getting paid, that's on the owners.

[Roy H.]

I personally think the "expiring contract" is an exceptional trade asset in the NBA unlike any other sport.

At the same time, if it was easier to get out of bad contracts, teams wouldn't need expiring contracts as much, and we could go back to the days when value was traded for value, rather than for financial gain.

[Who]

I like expiring contracts. Another asset for GMs to play with.

I think it's much easier to rebuild well and rebuild quickly nowadays ... and the expiring contracts play a big role in that.

Much more hope (possibilities) for turning around a team.

[Andy Jick]

Hello Lock-Out...

The real issue is not the salaries, it's the fools handing out the salaries.  Once again, owners have created a mess they want to reign in.  Well, good luck with that.  I'm certain a lot of players will be willing to hand money back over to them.

"N.B.A. - Where Amazing Stupidity Happens..."

[LooseCannon]

So, basically, the teams are collectively losing $340-350 million this season, or so they claim, and their remedy is to cut player salaries by $750-800 million?  Really, they just want to try and guarantee that even the worst teams turn a profit.

I don't think the problem is guaranteed vs unguaranteed contracts.  If I wanted to change the rules, it would be changes in max contract length.

But I think the players association is correct; there is a fundamental need for more revenue sharing.  The lockout is looming in part because the rich teams would rather share the players' money than their own.  I would like to see revenue sharing include incentives for not sucking, so that you don't have teams like the Pirates in baseball, where the owners pocket revenue sharing as profit. 

[More Banners]

The only thing more valuable than expiring contracts is the team-option and partially guaranteed 5th and 6th years.  That's really where things go off the rails, a MLE deal with a trade kicker thrown in when it's in it's 4th or 5th year.  Suddenly a MLE player is making nearly $9 million?  And perhaps not producing?  With two years left?  The MLE is where many bad contracts are made e.g. Blount (MLE-level money, though technically not MLE), Nocioni, Posey, etc.

Make years 4 and 5 partially guaranteed, and it becomes an asset either way, if the player's worth it, or if he isn't and can be cut at the end of year 3 in a salary cut.  Player still gets, say, 50% of what's left, $6 million or so for not playing?  Good deal all around.

I wouldn't be surprised if someone pushes for a "franchise" tag in free agency, too.

[Q_FBE]

They are all overpaid in my book. I had to take a 30% paycut and relocate my arse across the country to keep working and worse yet, I cannot sell my house back at my old address. DO YOU THINK I WILL BE ATTENDING ANY NBA GAMES THIS YEAR?

Win the 18th flag and shutter it for a year.

[guava_wrench]

The whole "oh the poor owners, the athletes are bankrupting them" took a real public opinion hit with the release of baseball, traditionally the poor criers, were outed as pretty big frauds by those accounting leaks.

I also think football, if the owners keep it up, will sour fans to the "poor owners" issue by locking players who want to play out.

Both sides will lose, but i think players in both sports are doing a better job of keeping the discussion focused on owner greed instead of the traditional "players are overpaid babies" argument the owners resort to.

And the owners are doing a pretty good job of it too:

Amir Johnson: 5 yr 34 mil.
Hakim Warrick: 4 yr 18 mil.
Travis Outlaw: 5 yr 35 mil.
Channing Frye: 5 yr 30 mil.
Rudy Gay: 6 yr 80 mil.
Joe Johnson: 6 yr 120 mil.
David Lee: 6 yr 80 mil.
Wes Matthews: 5 yr 34 mil.
John Salmons: 5 yr 40 mil.
Drew Gooden: 5 yr 32 mil.
Ty Thomas: 5 yr 40 mil.

Who made GMs sign those deals? Against whom were they bidding? But yeah, owners are strapped for cash.

Those deals aren't really relevant. Players are given a certain portion of what the league makes according to the CBA. Stern seems to want to chance that.

There will always be player who are overpaid and who are underpaid (like stars on rookie contracts).