Greg Oden Chooses Miami (merged)

[Neurotic Guy]

The Lakers have no shot at Wiggins. They will be a cusp playoff team out west.

Without Dwight?  I know they say Kobe is ahead of progress, but I thought there was a strong possibility he missed the entire season.

I hope JSD is correct.  I worry that they will be bad enough to get in the lottery. I'll be sweating out the lottery no matter how many Ping-Pong balls they get.

[LooseCannon]

The Lakers have no shot at Wiggins. They will be a cusp playoff team out west.

If they are a cusp playoff team, then you think there is a chance they miss the playoffs.  If they miss the playoffs, they have a tiny chance of having the #1 pick.

[lightspeed5]

The Lakers have no shot at Wiggins. They will be a cusp playoff team out west.

If they are a cusp playoff team, then you think there is a chance they miss the playoffs.  If they miss the playoffs, they have a tiny chance of having the #1 pick.

dont think a 9th seed has ever gotten the 1st pick

[LarBrd33]

Would you rather have Bynum at 2 years 24 mil or Oden at 2 years 2 mil.

[Neurotic Guy]

This is just stupid! They signed him for the min because the min is Miami is more there than anywhere else because there's no taxes! The league should address this advantage. Another thing it should address is max salary. Lebron should be making $60 Million a year by himself. That would handicap any team who signed him to not be able to sign other max guys. Keep the soft cap but allow the free market to work it's magic. This system stinks.

I agree that the system is not perfect but I think free market imperfections are why every major sport now has salary rules and a cap and/or tax system.  However, another way to look at it is that free market outcomes were the catalyst for the growth of labor unions/associations which use the system and its various constituencies to leverage power.  In that sense, free market restrictions in sports are a natural evolutionary outgrowth of a free market system.  It could be argued that this always occurs if a free market system acknowledges that multiple layers of beneficiaries must be satiated (or placated) for on-going success or survival (or for the benefit of a greater good).
 

[gpap]

The Lakers have no shot at Wiggins. They will be a cusp playoff team out west.

Without Dwight?  I know they say Kobe is ahead of progress, but I thought there was a strong possibility he missed the entire season.

The last report I saw he was on pace to start opening day.

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/story/_/id/9339567/kobe-bryant-los-angeles-lakers-aims-opener-wants-last-word-dwight-howard

Yeah I am betting Kobe is back by opening night due to receiving...ahem, "special treatment"

[Neurotic Guy]

The Lakers have no shot at Wiggins. They will be a cusp playoff team out west.

If they are a cusp playoff team, then you think there is a chance they miss the playoffs.  If they miss the playoffs, they have a tiny chance of having the #1 pick.

dont think a 9th seed has ever gotten the 1st pick

You have now jinxed the Lakers into prime position should they attain a 9th seed.

[lightspeed5]

The Lakers have no shot at Wiggins. They will be a cusp playoff team out west.

If they are a cusp playoff team, then you think there is a chance they miss the playoffs.  If they miss the playoffs, they have a tiny chance of having the #1 pick.

dont think a 9th seed has ever gotten the 1st pick

You have now jinxed the Lakers into prime position should they attain a 9th seed.

thing is, i dont think a 9th seed has ever even gotten a top 10 pick

[LooseCannon]

The Lakers have no shot at Wiggins. They will be a cusp playoff team out west.

If they are a cusp playoff team, then you think there is a chance they miss the playoffs.  If they miss the playoffs, they have a tiny chance of having the #1 pick.

dont think a 9th seed has ever gotten the 1st pick

There's a reason they changed the formula after the 1993 draft.

Whether or not a 9th seed has gotten the 1st pick before has zero influence over whether or not one will in the future.

[soap07]

Am I the only one getting sick of the NBA?

Why don't we just eliminate the other 28 teams?

You probably didn't mind when during the Big 3 era, the C's were getting every top vet FA for less than market value.

[Neurotic Guy]

It is the obvious choice for Oden, moreso because he can't expect to have a long and healthy NBA career. If he can only play for one season, why not go with the best player on the planet, and a place where he can sit out, whenever he needs to.

I wouldn't be surprised though, if he can't take the heat (so to speak). His health issues also resulted in a mental breakdown (drinking problems etc.). I hope for him that it is all behind him, but it has probably taken it's toll on him.

I hope he stays healthy and leaves Miami next year for a nice contract.  Of course I also hope he doesn't help them 3-peat.

Re: mental breakdown/drinking problem -- I guess I missed that.  He's only 25 so getting drunk on occasion, while perhaps concerning depending upon the circumstances, is probably not tantamount to a drinking problem.  If there is credible info about him having a problem with alcohol I didn't see it -- please provide.

[86MaxwellSmart]

Would you rather have Bynum at 2 years 24 mil or Oden at 2 years 2 mil.

BYNUM....cause his deal is only guaranteed for 6 Mil anyway.

[JSD]

This is just stupid! They signed him for the min because the min is Miami is more there than anywhere else because there's no taxes! The league should address this advantage. Another thing it should address is max salary. Lebron should be making $60 Million a year by himself. That would handicap any team who signed him to not be able to sign other max guys. Keep the soft cap but allow the free market to work it's magic. This system stinks.

I agree that the system is not perfect but I think free market imperfections are why every major sport now has salary rules and a cap and/or tax system.  However, another way to look at it is that free market outcomes were the catalyst for the growth of labor unions/associations which use the system and its various constituencies to leverage power.  In that sense, free market restrictions in sports are a natural evolutionary outgrowth of a free market system.  It could be argued that this always occurs if a free market system acknowledges that multiple layers of beneficiaries must be satiated (or placated) for on-going success or survival (or for the benefit of a greater good).

I don't want to get too far off-topic so I won't comment on the stuff beyond the context I was reffering to... The max salary hurts teams with unfavorable locations (Crap weather, high taxes(cough cough: MA)) and encourages this teamming up nonsense because it allows a team with a great location to match high bids on up to 3 elite players. It's absolute crap.


The Free Market in this context would allow a team like Minnesota to outbid every other team for Lebron. So if Lebron is left with a choice: Minnesota for $58 Million or Miami for $25 Million, the cold weather city actually has a shot at getting him.

[KG_ended_Bias]

Prediction: Greg Oden plays very well in Miami, gains once lost respect & notoriety and leaves the Heat! Only to sign with the Lakers after he gets it all back, our poor C's can't catch a break. ****!

[Moranis]

He wanted to go there all along. The pretense he was deciding between them and others teams was phony.

Cleveland never offered him a contract.  I think there was a good chance he would have signed there if they had.