playstation
Selfless Service
By Terry Brown
NBA Insider
Monday, June 28
Updated: June 28
2:12 PM ET
The Los Angeles Clippers are under no pressure to win a certain amount of games next season, much less compete for any playoff spot or even earn their share of revenue from the NBA.
Because of this, they have the best shot of signing free agent Kobe Bryant away from the Los Angeles Lakers.
It's really rather simple.
# Interested teams can contact Bryant on July 1.
# The earliest any one of them can sign him as a free agent is July 14.
# He goes on trial for sexual assault on August 27.
# The trial is expected to last until September 23.
# The first preseason game of the 2004-05 season will be around October 4.
This means that Kobe Bryant will very likely be signed to a multi-year, nine-figure contract before any team knows for sure if he will even be eligible to play next season.
The NBA has moral clauses within its contracts that will allow any team to terminate the contract of a player who is convicted of a felony and sentenced to jail time. The Suns, Spurs and Clippers, or any other team, can get all their money back if a guilty verdict is rendered.
The problem, though, is that a verdict won't come back until two weeks before preseason games start.
The Suns, in desperate need of a point guard, will have to decide if they want to pursue free agent Steve Nash. They can't sign both Nash and Bryant and if they choose Bryant and he is found guilty, they will lose out on both players.
Donald Sterling might be willing to throw big money at Kobe Bryant.
The Spurs must decide if they want to keep Manu Ginobili and Hedo Turkoglu before going after Bryant. In order to get far enough under the salary cap to offer Bryant a maximum deal, they will have to renounce the rights to one or both of these players. If Bryant is found guilty, they get back their money. But San Antonio will lose out not only on the superstar shooting guard, but a future all-star guard and a 6-foot-10 small forward who shot 41-percent from 3-point range last year.
Meanwhile, the Clippers can offer Bryant the maximum 6-years at $101 million and sit back and wait. If he is found not guilty, great! They've got the best shooting in the league on their roster. If he is found guilty, great! They just saved $101 million and still get the same amount of revenue from the NBA.
They have nothing to lose.
Last year, the Clippers had the third lowest payroll in the league at $36.5 million and finished last in the Western Conference with a record of 28-54. The year before, they had the second-lowest payroll in the league at $42.7 million with a final record of 27-55. And the year before that, they had the lowest payroll at $33.7 million and a record of 39-43.
They aren't expected to make the playoffs. They aren't expected to win very many games. They aren't expected to sign any free agents like Kobe Bryant. They can simply hang around and do nothing else to improve their roster while Bryant decides which team he likes best and 12 jurors decide if he even has that right.
The Spurs and Suns can't do that.
Both franchises have a history of winning. Both of them have expectations in the immediate future. Both of those teams have players who want to win now.
Donald Sterling couldn't care less.
If he can make a little more money with Bryant on his payroll and, as a side effect, win a few more games, then so be it. If he can make a good chunk of money without Bryant on his payroll and continue the Clippers' legacy as the worst franchise in NBA history, then so be it.
Sterling can always find some player to lead Los Angeles in scoring by throwing a maximum amount of individual money at him while still hovering around the minimum amount of team money. And don't think for a second that the minute Sterling feels that his payroll is too heavy because of a maxed out Bryant, he won't trade him for a couple of draft picks and cash considerations.
Now, call me crazy, but i read this and it sounds like an advertisement for kobe NOT to sign with the clippers. maybe thats what its meant to do
NBA Insider
Monday, June 28
Updated: June 28
2:12 PM ET
The Los Angeles Clippers are under no pressure to win a certain amount of games next season, much less compete for any playoff spot or even earn their share of revenue from the NBA.
Because of this, they have the best shot of signing free agent Kobe Bryant away from the Los Angeles Lakers.
It's really rather simple.
# Interested teams can contact Bryant on July 1.
# The earliest any one of them can sign him as a free agent is July 14.
# He goes on trial for sexual assault on August 27.
# The trial is expected to last until September 23.
# The first preseason game of the 2004-05 season will be around October 4.
This means that Kobe Bryant will very likely be signed to a multi-year, nine-figure contract before any team knows for sure if he will even be eligible to play next season.
The NBA has moral clauses within its contracts that will allow any team to terminate the contract of a player who is convicted of a felony and sentenced to jail time. The Suns, Spurs and Clippers, or any other team, can get all their money back if a guilty verdict is rendered.
The problem, though, is that a verdict won't come back until two weeks before preseason games start.
The Suns, in desperate need of a point guard, will have to decide if they want to pursue free agent Steve Nash. They can't sign both Nash and Bryant and if they choose Bryant and he is found guilty, they will lose out on both players.
Donald Sterling might be willing to throw big money at Kobe Bryant.
The Spurs must decide if they want to keep Manu Ginobili and Hedo Turkoglu before going after Bryant. In order to get far enough under the salary cap to offer Bryant a maximum deal, they will have to renounce the rights to one or both of these players. If Bryant is found guilty, they get back their money. But San Antonio will lose out not only on the superstar shooting guard, but a future all-star guard and a 6-foot-10 small forward who shot 41-percent from 3-point range last year.
Meanwhile, the Clippers can offer Bryant the maximum 6-years at $101 million and sit back and wait. If he is found not guilty, great! They've got the best shooting in the league on their roster. If he is found guilty, great! They just saved $101 million and still get the same amount of revenue from the NBA.
They have nothing to lose.
Last year, the Clippers had the third lowest payroll in the league at $36.5 million and finished last in the Western Conference with a record of 28-54. The year before, they had the second-lowest payroll in the league at $42.7 million with a final record of 27-55. And the year before that, they had the lowest payroll at $33.7 million and a record of 39-43.
They aren't expected to make the playoffs. They aren't expected to win very many games. They aren't expected to sign any free agents like Kobe Bryant. They can simply hang around and do nothing else to improve their roster while Bryant decides which team he likes best and 12 jurors decide if he even has that right.
The Spurs and Suns can't do that.
Both franchises have a history of winning. Both of them have expectations in the immediate future. Both of those teams have players who want to win now.
Donald Sterling couldn't care less.
If he can make a little more money with Bryant on his payroll and, as a side effect, win a few more games, then so be it. If he can make a good chunk of money without Bryant on his payroll and continue the Clippers' legacy as the worst franchise in NBA history, then so be it.
Sterling can always find some player to lead Los Angeles in scoring by throwing a maximum amount of individual money at him while still hovering around the minimum amount of team money. And don't think for a second that the minute Sterling feels that his payroll is too heavy because of a maxed out Bryant, he won't trade him for a couple of draft picks and cash considerations.
Now, call me crazy, but i read this and it sounds like an advertisement for kobe NOT to sign with the clippers. maybe thats what its meant to do
