Meeting between owners and players fails to materialize

[elindholm]

You know the one about Bill Gates walking into a bar: the average net worth of the patrons soars about a billion??? The principle seems applicable here.

You're right, it would be more meaningful to talk about the median salary, rather than the average. However, I don't think it would be much lower. Just go to hoopshype, pick a random team, and look at their salaries. Most teams have at least five players making $5 million per year or more.

 

[haverford]

I won't argue that most players don't make eye-popping amounts of money, especially compared to middle class folks like us. Whether they "deserve" those salaries is another question altogether--one which I think is interesting. But it is wrong, in my opinion, to single the players out for greed when the entire business (owners/players/agents/corporate underwriters/etc.) is predicated on that idea.

All of that being said, I liked the last CBA. It struck the right balance between the needs of the teams and the rights of the players to get fair market value. I hope they can replicate it somehow....

 

[jibikao]

I honestly don't understand why the owners actually want 3-4 year maximum contracts. I would think that 4-5 year maximum contracts would be about perfect. I'm tired of these players. I just don't understand what entitles them to such a large chunk of the overall NBA income. There something wrong when the average NBA player yearly salary is more than many organizations are making at this point.

Somewhere in the ESPN article the other day I read that the players were complaining about the escrow tax because they already pay taxes on their money making their salaries much less than it looks. Guess what? Most Americans pay a large part of their salaries to taxes as well. That's the way it works. The simple fact is that the NBA average salary is about $5 million. Even after you figure taxes into the equation that's enough money after 2-3 years to live like a king for the rest of your life.

Again, my prediction is that there will be a lockout. I will guarantee that one. I also don't think there will be any actual games missed. It may stretch late into the summer and/or even threaten the season, but they will get it figured out before the season actually starts.

Joe Mama

Man... how come you always know so much? lol Do you follow NBA every day? You are the one that is a millionarie right?? I remember I asked you this question. lol

Well, rich people always seem to know everything especially the current events. LOL Gotta learn from that from the rich people.


Speaking about money, 5mil a year.... if I am not mistaken, some of those 5mil per year players don't even get to play isn't it? The lowest paid NBA Players usually just sit on the bench and play in practice. And they are complaining about it??!!!! They pay you 5mil basically for doing nothing. You work out, play some b-ball and cheer for the team. For 5 FREAKING MILLIONS... they complain?

Is NBA the highest paid professional sports? I mean there are a lot less players on a basketball team than a football team so I would assume NBA players are paid more than a football player right? On average..I mean.

 

[haverford]

Speaking about money, 5mil a year.... if I am not mistaken, some of those 5mil per year players don't even get to play isn't it? The lowest paid NBA Players usually just sit on the bench and play in practice. And they are complaining about it??!!!! They pay you 5mil basically for doing nothing. You work out, play some b-ball and cheer for the team. For 5 FREAKING MILLIONS... they complain?

Oy. Look, there are about 300 people in the world qualified to make an NBA roster. Their skills are singular and elite--a lesson we are learning the hard way with JJ being hurt. If you jibikao are convinced that you can persuade a GM to let you make 5 mil sitting on the end of the bench "doing nothing" then go for it.

Interestingly, if you happen to have an extra 500 million laying around, you can buy an NBA team. The only unique skill set you'll need for that is in your wallet.

 

[elindholm]

Whether they "deserve" those salaries is another question altogether--one which I think is interesting. But it is wrong, in my opinion, to single the players out for greed when the entire business (owners/players/agents/corporate underwriters/etc.) is predicated on that idea.

I definitely agree. What seems odd is when the players say "I might be making $10 million, but it's not really $10 million." Well, duh. Someone making $7 per hour isn't really making $7 per hour, either.

NBA players are the best in the world at what they do, in an industry that has a whole lot of money in it. It makes sense that they should be well paid, whether they "deserve" it or not. And it even makes sense for them to want $12 million per year instead of $10 million. But for them to whine about how they aren't "really" making as much money as they appear to is insulting and, frankly, stupid.

 

[Joe Mama]

Well, I guess I need to go and find the earnings for each NBA team last season. I know the Phoenix Suns posted a $2 million loss a couple seasons ago. That's the problem I have. If the teams are actually making money I have no problem with the players getting large salaries as long as they don't complain that taxes take a lot or they have to be able to put food on the table for their families. I just don't like hearing how one of the more popular teams in the NBA, who'd made the playoffs that season, didn't even turn a profit.

Joe Mama

 

[jibikao]

Well, I guess I need to go and find the earnings for each NBA team last season. I know the Phoenix Suns posted a $2 million loss a couple seasons ago. That's the problem I have. If the teams are actually making money I have no problem with the players getting large salaries as long as they don't complain that taxes take a lot or they have to be able to put food on the table for their families. I just don't like hearing how one of the more popular teams in the NBA, who'd made the playoffs that season, didn't even turn a profit.

Joe Mama

Which team complains?? I mean how did this happen? I thought NBA players were so well paid. It's a known fact that NBA Players are OVERPAID isn't it?

So for them to complain like this... man, they are out of their minds.

 

[thegrahamcrackr]

You know the one about Bill Gates walking into a bar: the average net worth of the patrons soars about a billion??? The principle seems applicable here.

Funny story - I was talking to some random people at the pool last night after teh game. I guess she works at an apartment complex on central and indian school, and Amare moved in there not to long ago.

Anyways, they are selling the complex now and their numbers are all out of whack because of Amare. Their reports now read that they are 90% full and the average salary is like 300k

 

[thegrahamcrackr]

Is NBA the highest paid professional sports? I mean there are a lot less players on a basketball team than a football team so I would assume NBA players are paid more than a football player right? On average..I mean.

I am pretty sure baseball is. At least they have the largest player contracts (by far). Not sure how the average works out and if they take minor leagues into consideration.

 

[thegrahamcrackr]

Well, I guess I need to go and find the earnings for each NBA team last season. I know the Phoenix Suns posted a $2 million loss a couple seasons ago. That's the problem I have. If the teams are actually making money I have no problem with the players getting large salaries as long as they don't complain that taxes take a lot or they have to be able to put food on the table for their families. I just don't like hearing how one of the more popular teams in the NBA, who'd made the playoffs that season, didn't even turn a profit.

Joe Mama

Exactly. I tried to argue that most teams turned a loss and was pretty much laughed away.

For me, the easiest way to tell that the typical salary structure is out of whack is that the escrow tax has been triggered the past two seasons. That means that player salaries have been over 57% of the total basketball related income.

The old CBA was fine for the time it was signed, but things have changed. You have to update contracts as the climate changes so that things don't get worse. The payrolls are growing faster than the BRI which doesn't forcast anything good to say the least.

The changes being made are to protect the owners from themselves. I would say 23-25 of the NBA teams are capable of walking away from bad deals. However, those other 5-7 owners ruin it for everyone. People like Dolan, Allen, Cuban ect. pay way over market price making it impossible to compete when offering fair contracts.

 

[elindholm]

Anyways, they are selling the complex now and their numbers are all out of whack because of Amare. Their reports now read that they are 90% full and the average salary is like 300k

I once played in a poker tournament where the average player at my starting table, in a field of more than 800, ended up winning nearly $400,000.

 

[haverford]

Well, I guess I need to go and find the earnings for each NBA team last season. I know the Phoenix Suns posted a $2 million loss a couple seasons ago. That's the problem I have. If the teams are actually making money I have no problem with the players getting large salaries as long as they don't complain that taxes take a lot or they have to be able to put food on the table for their families. I just don't like hearing how one of the more popular teams in the NBA, who'd made the playoffs that season, didn't even turn a profit.

Joe Mama

It is also possible, indeed well rumored, that Colangelo doesn't want this team to turn a profit, because it triggers all sorts of debt repayment with the city. I could be wrong, but it certainly wouldn't surprise me. At that level of corporate finance, the bottom line becomes a fuzzy and moving target that is hard to fix in any straightforward way. Turning a profit, when you are rich enough to own a sports franchise, may not always be the goal.

 

[fordronken]

Don't baseball players make the most money on average? They certainly have some of the highest salaries on the planet.

 

[NickelBack]

They certainly have some of the highest salaries on the planet.

No, that's the quarterback in Atlanta. What's his name Mexico, errr, Mike Vick?