Warriors + Cousins = the NBA HAS JUMPED THE SHARK

[Phrazbit]

Lol.. now you are resorting to name calling. Most people just give up and stop when they have been embarassed this bad. You should have saved face and put me on ignore. What triggered our entire discussion is you disagreeing with me for pointing out that Ouchie was wrong for insinuating an auction would be offensive/racist. It had absolutely nothing to do with whether an auction could work (connotations aside).



Bahahaha.. nice try with that stretch

What triggered the entire conversation was the obvious implied racism in replacing free agency with an auction.

Stretch? My retort to your straw man nonsense was apparently so sound that you couldn't even come up with an inane deflection.

 

[sunsfan88]

Isn't pro sports in a different category than people with everyday jobs? Players do start with contracts and, at the end, can choose to sign with whichever team they wish.

The contracts start, of course, with drafts, which were designed to maintain parity, which makes it different from any other work category.

Actors sign contracts with studios. Recording artists sign contracts with CD labels. And even corporate executives sign contracts. They cannot just give two weeks notice and move on.

Although I have no use for any kind of group prejudice, isn't this conversation taking place only because most NBA players are African American? But to equate it to slavery is an invalid comparison.

And isn't it the place of labor unions to handle this matter?

It’s a stretch but it’s not surprising because these days many people are determined to make anything and everything about race and ethnicities.

 

[JCSunsfan]

What triggered the entire conversation was the obvious implied racism in replacing free agency with an auction.

Stretch? My retort to your straw man nonsense was apparently so sound that you couldn't even come up with an inane deflection.

I made the initial suggestion and I intended ABSOLUTELY NO SUCH IMPLICATION. Good grief, quit assuming what other people are thinking. Its insulting.

 

[Phrazbit]

I made the initial suggestion and I intended ABSOLUTELY NO SUCH IMPLICATION. Good grief, quit assuming what other people are thinking. Its insulting.

I don't think it's at all what you were thinking, but if replacing free agency with an auction were actually proposed, IMO, the reaction would be visceral in a way you had no intention of.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

I don't think it's at all what you were thinking, but if replacing free agency with an auction were actually proposed, IMO, the reaction would be visceral in a way you had no intention of.

Exactly. My comment wasn’t based on intent but rather the likely reception from a predominantly African American league.

 

[CardsSunsDbacks]

What a meaningless conversation.

It's not like the players union would ever even consider buying off on the idea anyways.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

What a meaningless conversation.

It's not like the players union would ever even consider buying off on the idea anyways.

Haha. So true

 

[JCSunsfan]

I have no problem with someone disputing the idea based upon its own merits. It was just an idea after all and maybe a bad one. But it is not legit to discount it based upon the connotations of a particular word.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

I have no problem with someone disputing the idea based upon its own merits. It was just an idea after all and maybe a bad one. But it is not legit to discount it based upon the connotations of a particular word.

What society are you living in these days?

Do you not recall the uproar of the comment about the inmates running the prison, or something to that extent?

And I wasn’t so much discounting the idea (although I agree with others that it would never fly with the nbapa) as much as commenting on the use of a highly volatile concept to a specific population sensitive to the word and concept due to historical context.

 

[JCSunsfan]

I don't think it's at all what you were thinking, but if replacing free agency with an auction were actually proposed, IMO, the reaction would be visceral in a way you had no intention of.

OK. But you said "obvious implication" which indicates intent on my part. If that is not what you meant to communicate, I accept that.

 

[JCSunsfan]

What society are you living in these days?

We could find another word. But good grief, we might as well drop it. Its not a good idea based upon its own merits, I will concede.

 

[Phrazbit]

I have no problem with someone disputing the idea based upon its own merits. It was just an idea after all and maybe a bad one. But it is not legit to discount it based upon the connotations of a particular word.

It's not just the word though, it's the idea that the players would never have the ability to choose their own destiny or even negotiate for themselves.

Baseball used to have the reserve clause, every team was able to reserve exclusive negotiating rights with all players on their roster. Locking players into artificially low wages and short contracts. Among the reasons the players were eventually able to overturn it was it was considered to be in violation of the 14th amendment.

Again, I don't think you had any ill intent. But I suspect a labor system such a labor system wouldn't just be vehemently opposed but likely illegal.

 

[CardsSunsDbacks]

It's not just the word though, it's the idea that the players would never have the ability to choose their own destiny or even negotiate for themselves.

Baseball used to have the reserve clause, every team was able to reserve exclusive negotiating rights with all players on their roster. Locking players into artificially low wages and short contracts. Among the reasons the players were eventually able to overturn it was it was considered to be in violation of the 14th amendment.

Again, I don't think you had any ill intent. But I suspect a labor system such a labor system wouldn't just be vehemently opposed but likely illegal.

I don't know if it would be illegal (assuming that both the owners and the players union signed off on it) because it would likely garner fair wages. Otherwise it could be argued that it should be illegal for the draft to exist because it isn't the player's choice to play where he wants to play.

 

[Phrazbit]

I don't know if it would be illegal (assuming that both the owners and the players union signed off on it) because it would likely garner fair wages. Otherwise it could be argued that it should be illegal for the draft to exist because it isn't the player's choice to play where he wants to play.

Well, the players would never agree, so it's moot.

I absolutely think it would lead to lower wages though. Instead of teams negotiating with an agent in the blind they'll know exactly what others are bidding.

The 1994 baseball strike ended because the owners were found to be negotiating in bad faith, which is how I suspect an effort to enact this in basketball would end.

 

[JCSunsfan]

It's not just the word though, it's the idea that the players would never have the ability to choose their own destiny or even negotiate for themselves.

Baseball used to have the reserve clause, every team was able to reserve exclusive negotiating rights with all players on their roster. Locking players into artificially low wages and short contracts. Among the reasons the players were eventually able to overturn it was it was considered to be in violation of the 14th amendment.

Again, I don't think you had any ill intent. But I suspect a labor system such a labor system wouldn't just be vehemently opposed but likely illegal.

That is disputing on the merits, not on the word. I get that.

 

[Matt L]

I agree with most of this although the Bledsoe and Bender comment misses the mark. Bender hasn't rolled out there with Bledsoe very much at all. Dragan has only been in the NBA for 2 seasons and he was out with injury for much of his first year. And Bledsoe was traded 3 games into Bender's second year. But, yeah, it seems like forever that we've been rolling out with less than exciting basketball.

I confused Dragan Bender with Goran Dragic. I am a little optimistic for Bender and not a fan of Dragic at all.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I confused Dragan Bender with Goran Dragic. I am a little optimistic for Bender and not a fan of Dragic at all.

Aah, I see. Well, then this team ought to give you some hope.

 

[Ronin]

Adam Silver: NBA can create 'a better system' for competitive balance
http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/...-nba-create-better-system-competitive-balance