Ray Allen to the Heat

[Jon]

Please don't compare the NBA players to people who go to work 9-5. It's unrealistic to compare the two.

They can come up with a compensation package to keep players if a team so chooses. It needs to happen for the league and for Cleveland.

I wasn't comparing anybody. Free-agency was a hard fought for right that no sports union is going to give up easily.

Any move that restricts free-agency would suppress salaries, and the union will vote it down.

Allowing an owner to pay a franchise player more with the cap still in place takes money away from the average player - and the average players will vote that down.

Allowing an owner to pay a franchise player more and exceed the cap would result in the sort of excessive spending the league has been trying to eliminate, and they will vote it down.

Basically, it's not going to happen...

 

[chuck0609]

I wasn't comparing anybody. Free-agency was a hard fought for right that no sports union is going to give up easily.

Any move that restricts free-agency would suppress salaries, and the union will vote it down.

Allowing an owner to pay a franchise player more with the cap still in place takes money away from the average player - and the average players will vote that down.

Allowing an owner to pay a franchise player more and exceed the cap would result in the sort of excessive spending the league has been trying to eliminate, and they will vote it down.

Basically, it's not going to happen...

The owners achieved what they wanted in the last round of FA by getting back to 50/50. The players, in all their stupidity, will continue to flock to the big market teams.

The small market teams will realize the absolute inequity in te ability to compete.

I can see a breaking of the union in the next round, and it's the players fault.

 

[czvo]

By the way, I was referring to the max salary limit for individual players. Not the salary cap. In case there was any confusion.

 

[czvo]

I dont buy the different sport argument. A team that is willing to max player out should be able to retain him. In fact, you can make it even exceeed the standard max deal as they will be unable to reach FA.

The players hold entirely too much power and are holding franchises (the entities that make the league run and fund the players) hostage because they want to play with their buddies in a big market. The league and teams need to take back that abaility to restore competitive balance.

Otherwise my Cavaliers will be a AAA team for Miami, LA, NY, Boston and Chicago. I'm sorry OKC and the Spurs are exceptions, not the norm.

Miami is the rare case where superstar players actually chose to play together. Chicago drafted both Jordan and Pippen, then developed them. Boston traded for Garnett and Allen. New York... hasn't been good since Ewing left, and he was drafted there.

People like to point to LeBron as the new "way of the league," but HE is truly the exception here.

 

[chuck0609]

Miami is the rare case where superstar players actually chose to play together. Chicago drafted both Jordan and Pippen, then developed them. Boston traded for Garnett and Allen. New York... hasn't been good since Ewing left, and he was drafted there.

People like to point to LeBron as the new "way of the league," but HE is truly the exception here.

Carmelo, Williams, Paul and Howard all pushed their way out.

It's simply better for the competitive balance of the league for the teams to maintain or create leverage over the players. The Players want to play in a few select places. Hence the small markets are farm teams as seasoned vets move on.

Cleveland, as it is, is a farm team, even with an owner who was willing to spend.

I want that changed and could give a shit about spoiled pampered multi millionaire players. They are well compensated with their guaranteed contracts.

 

[Jon]

I can see a breaking of the union in the next round, and it's the players fault.

You understand that's not something the owners want, as without a union there cannot be a CBA.

 

[Mdog1]

Carmelo, Williams, Paul and Howard all pushed their way out.

It's simply better for the competitive balance of the league for the teams to maintain or create leverage over the players. The Players want to play in a few select places. Hence the small markets are farm teams as seasoned vets move on.

Cleveland, as it is, is a farm team, even with an owner who was willing to spend.

I want that changed and could give a shit about spoiled pampered multi millionaire players. They are well compensated with their guaranteed contracts.

Did Carmelo, Willaims, Paul, Howard, Amare, and Bosh really push their ways out, or did their teams force them to leave. I fully believe it is the latter.

Let us start with the easy ones.

Williams was traded years before he was a FA, and never (at least publically) asked for a trade.

Amare was rightfully looking for a max contract, and PHX basically laughed and said gtfo by waiing his Bird rights (Boozer was in a similar situation).

Bosh was in the worst situation of any max player in the league. He was on a perennial 8-12 draft position team with no playoff aspirations let alone titles.

Now on to the more difficult situations.

In the case of Howard his team made the finals, and then regressed because they were cheap. Constantly bringing in old overpaid role players (sound familiar...).

For Paul again no title hopes, and poor management.

For Carmelo he was easily in the best situation of all these players, but it was not close to perfect. Billups was not a long term piece, and outside of Nene and Lawson the team was not that good. Melo went from a pretty decent situation to a shitty one though, where as all of the other players went to better situations. Melo was just an idiot.

 

[chuck0609]

Did Carmelo, Willaims, Paul, Howard, Amare, and Bosh really push their ways out, or did their teams force them to leave. I fully believe it is the latter.

Let us start with the easy ones.

Williams was traded years before he was a FA, and never (at least publically) asked for a trade.

Amare was rightfully looking for a max contract, and PHX basically laughed and said gtfo by waiing his Bird rights (Boozer was in a similar situation).

Bosh was in the worst situation of any max player in the league. He was on a perennial 8-12 draft position team with no playoff aspirations let alone titles.

Now on to the more difficult situations.

In the case of Howard his team made the finals, and then regressed because they were cheap. Constantly bringing in old overpaid role players (sound familiar...).

For Paul again no title hopes, and poor management.

For Carmelo he was easily in the best situation of all these players, but it was not close to perfect. Billups was not a long term piece, and outside of Nene and Lawson the team was not that good. Melo went from a pretty decent situation to a shitty one though, where as all of the other players went to better situations. Melo was just an idiot.

You're saying those teams were perfectly willing, to the point of wanting, to trade those players? Wow.

Those players simply stated they're not happy, some with more than one year on their contract. As the team has ZERO leverage in keeping them, they were forced to trade them.

I'm not sure how one could believe trading anyone of those players was the teams choice. It's not even plausible.

 

[Mdog1]

You're saying those teams were perfectly willing, to the point of wanting, to trade those players? Wow.

Those players simply stated they're not happy, some with more than one year on their contract. As the team has ZERO leverage in keeping them, they were forced to trade them.

I'm not sure how one could believe trading anyone of those players was the teams choice. It's not even plausible.

The Jazz completely traded Williams before he (publically) asked for a trade. Boozer, and Amare weren't traded, but were let go because the teams were too cheap to sign them. The others no they were not willingly traded, but as I said other than Melo their decisions were warranted imo, and they all went into better situations than they were in originally.