Owners' CBA proposal detailed: $45 million hard cap

[Casperian]

No way the owners get away with that. That´s not a lowball offer, that´s basically an insult.

If they´re serious, it could mean no NBA basketball next season.

[JBcat]

hard cap is all fun and games until you're a fan of a winning team who can't re-sign one of its stars.  The bird rights were created for a reason... had there been a hard cap in the 80s, The Celtics wouldn't have been able to keep Larry Bird in Celtic green.

I don't see how the hard cap does anything other than increase player turnover.  

You ever try to build a dynasty with a hard cap?  I've been playing "Out of the Park Baseball 2011" and trying to win the World Series as the Pittsburgh Pirates despite the fact my cheap owner only gives me 40 million budgeted for player contracts.  Here's what ends up happening... every few years I have to trade my superstar players for young prospects before they hit free agency... then the young players develop into superstars and I have to trade them for young prospects before they hit free agency... and then those young prospects develop and I have to trade them for young prospects.   It's a vicious cycle.  I've won 5 World Series in 10 years, but my fanbase is pretty apathetic towards the team... they are disgusted that I keep trading their favorite players.  5 World Series in 10 years and fan interest is at "average".  Lol.  It'd be like if the Celtics won the title with KG and Pierce.. and then immediately traded them for Kevin Durant and Kevin Love on rookie contracts... then a few years later won another title, but prior to them hitting free agency had to trade Durant and Love for Blake Griffin and John Wall on rookie contracts... then a few years later had to trade Wall and Griffin for two new players on rookie contracts... etc

I'm with you on this.  Not a huge fan of a hard cap.  I think it will only hurt us and owners willing to spend.

[wahz]

I agree with not liking a hard cap. It makes sense more owners than not want this since in some form since there are less free spenders than tightwads. But a hard cap hurts Celtic Nation. It hurt us not wanting to spend enough to resign Tony and Posey let alone something like this

[barefacedmonk]

It might be a good idea to delay the CB draft this year....looks like it'll be a very long and boring off season.

[Roy H.]

It might be a good idea to delay the CB draft this year....looks like it'll be a very long and boring off season.

Ha.  Looks like we might be having a CelticsBlog Draft every other month.  It's going to be brutal.

[KCattheStripe]

It might be a good idea to delay the CB draft this year....looks like it'll be a very long and boring off season.

Ha.  Looks like we might be having a CelticsBlog Draft every other month.  It's going to be brutal.

CB Draft, Historical, Pick Two, All College Players Draft, All Celtics Players Draft, All Cartoon Characters Draft.

[the_Bird]

hard cap is all fun and games until you're a fan of a winning team who can't re-sign one of its stars.  The bird rights were created for a reason... had there been a hard cap in the 80s, The Celtics wouldn't have been able to keep Larry Bird in Celtic green.

I don't see how the hard cap does anything other than increase player turnover.  

You ever try to build a dynasty with a hard cap?  I've been playing "Out of the Park Baseball 2011" and trying to win the World Series as the Pittsburgh Pirates despite the fact my cheap owner only gives me 40 million budgeted for player contracts.  Here's what ends up happening... every few years I have to trade my superstar players for young prospects before they hit free agency... then the young players develop into superstars and I have to trade them for young prospects before they hit free agency... and then those young prospects develop and I have to trade them for young prospects.   It's a vicious cycle.  I've won 5 World Series in 10 years, but my fanbase is pretty apathetic towards the team... they are disgusted that I keep trading their favorite players.  5 World Series in 10 years and fan interest is at "average".  Lol.  It'd be like if the Celtics won the title with KG and Pierce.. and then immediately traded them for Kevin Durant and Kevin Love on rookie contracts... then a few years later won another title, but prior to them hitting free agency had to trade Durant and Love for Blake Griffin and John Wall on rookie contracts... then a few years later had to trade Wall and Griffin for two new players on rookie contracts... etc

They deal with it in the NFL, hasn't hurt the Pats one bit.  If anything, it allows teams with smart management to prosper from other team's screwups.  I trust Danny not to screw things up; I mean, seriously, what's the worst free agent contract he signed anyone to?  Scal's 3/$15M?  He's made his mistakes, bit very rarely has he screwed up by giving someone too big of a contract.

[dasani]

wow how ridiculous. preparing for a long one.  

[JT11]

It might be a good idea to delay the CB draft this year....looks like it'll be a very long and boring off season.

Ha.  Looks like we might be having a CelticsBlog Draft every other month.  It's going to be brutal.

CB Draft, Historical, Pick Two, All College Players Draft, All Celtics Players Draft, All Cartoon Characters Draft.

Last one's my favorite. Wonder how Woody Woodpecker'll do on the parquet...

[greensquirrel]

I guess I'll spend more time watching movies, next year.

[Redz]

It might be a good idea to delay the CB draft this year....looks like it'll be a very long and boring off season.

Ha.  Looks like we might be having a CelticsBlog Draft every other month.  It's going to be brutal.

CB Draft, Historical, Pick Two, All College Players Draft, All Celtics Players Draft, All Cartoon Characters Draft.

Last one's my favorite. Wonder how Woody Woodpecker'll do on the parquet...

Ultimate Draft III 

[KCattheStripe]

It might be a good idea to delay the CB draft this year....looks like it'll be a very long and boring off season.

Ha.  Looks like we might be having a CelticsBlog Draft every other month.  It's going to be brutal.

CB Draft, Historical, Pick Two, All College Players Draft, All Celtics Players Draft, All Cartoon Characters Draft.

Last one's my favorite. Wonder how Woody Woodpecker'll do on the parquet...

Ultimate Draft III 

Ultimate Draft III: The Ultimatum.

Oddly appropriate considering the labor negotiations.

[BringToughnessBack]

I finally see a realistic way that Dwight Howard ends up in Celtics Green- No basketball until after the trade deadline passes next season and he then signs with us as a Free Agent...

This negotiation is going to get ugly-

Can players retire during a lockout?

[Celtics18]

The Euroleague is about to blow up.

[snively]

Donald Sterling willingly spending ~$60 mil per season and the NBA is demanding a hard cap of $45 mil?  Wow.  You have to think that $45 mil is just there to draw the union's fire, so they can flank them and get bigger concessions in contract guarantees before making a showy retreat in the final cap figure.

I'm definitely a believer in the hard cap, though not at $45 mil.  The luxury tax just exacerbated the inequalities of a soft cap by incentivizing cheapness for the small markets and making the big spender club even more exclusive.  Abolishing the luxury tax altogether and using the tax threshold as a hard cap makes a lot of sense.

"Super" bird rights and max contracts make little sense in a hard cap though.  If the hard cap is firm, there's no need for further limits, unless the union feels it necessary to subsidize the Udonis Haslems of the world at the expense of the LeBron James'. 

Creating a max just to allow the home team to field a better offer to its free agent is overkill. It would be much easier to allow eash team a small bonus pool of cap-exempt cash (limited to say $5 mil) that the home team could use on their own free agents as a unique signing incentive. The bonus would not be incorporated into the salary and thus would not factor in trades or break the hard cap.