Lockout Looming???

[OSUBlazerfan]

In conversations with front-office executives Tuesday night, I was told some strong stuff regarding the upcoming Collective Bargaining Agreement. As you probably know, the current CBA will end after the 2010-2011 season.

The gist of what I was told is that the owners will go for the jugular and drop the players’ salaries immensely.

I spoke with one executive about Amare Stoudemire and was told that, the way owners are talking now, Stoudemire wouldn’t even get a five-year contract worth $60 million under the next CBA. That sounded crazy to me, but when I spoke with a team owner an hour later, he made the executive sound tame.

“The owners are really going to chop the money down,’’ the owner said. “I think Stoudemire would get $5 or $6 million [annually] in the next deal. The bottom line is that things are going to change dramatically.’’

Five to six million dollars for a five-time All-Star in his prime? That sounds cruel compared with the players’ current salaries, so cruel that I just don’t believe it. A general manager I spoke with later agreed that that was an extreme.

“That [$5 million for Stoudemire] sounds a little bizarre, but player salaries are definitely going to take a hit,’’ the GM said. “Players that come up for contracts under the new CBA are going to find themselves getting a lot less money.’’

It’s well-known that owners will try to shorten contracts. Currently, players can sign contracts as long as six years. One GM told me the owners are looking to shorten the maximum length of a contract to four or five years. He added that they have actually discussed trying to guarantee only the first two years of a four-year deal, and that the third and fourth years would be guaranteed only if a player reached certain performance-based incentives the previous season.

In other words, it would be closer to the NFL than to today’s NBA.

“Those concepts are being discussed,’’ another GM told me. “Is there a sentiment among some [owners] that they’d like to have it like football? Yeah. But I think that’s out of bounds.’’

Severe drops in salary. Non-guaranteed contracts. Billy Hunter, the Executive Director of the Players Association, will not settle for that without a fight, and the owners know it.

“There’s going to be a lockout,’’ the owner said. “There’s not even a doubt in my mind about that. Billy’s not going to make a deal like that. Teams are already saving up money for a strike.’’

Maybe the players should start saving too.

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/12604/cba-negotiations-could-get-ugly

 

[BoBoBREWSKI]

Very interesting.

Bad timing for us. Trail Blazers should be championship contenders in 2010-2011.

 

[hasoos]

Yea I think that is a distinct possibility. Too many NBA teams are losing money for this not to happen. Seriously, NBA players are paid too much anyhow. If they are worth a damn, they have a fat ass shoe contract anyhow.

 

[ABM]

So, Oden and/or Bayless will be the ones taking the hit??

 

[RR7]

Drop salaries that low, adn then all of a sudden the owners will be making TONS of money. I don't really have sympathy for owners losing money. Don't put out a shitty product, and maybe you'll make money. Every year owners get worried abou tmoney, but then you get a couple to throw out stupid contracts, and it all goes to hell.

 

[hasoos]

So, Oden and/or Bayless will be the ones taking the hit??

Pretty much everybody who signs a contract from that year forward takes a hit. Also, it tends to turn contracts like Lamarcus, if he doesn't start producing, into something similar in situatin to Hot Rod Williams contract. Good player, but not worth the money. It can become an albatross.

 

[Nikolokolus]

On the brightside, it will be nearly impossible for Greg to hurt himself for a whole year, and will have lots of time to work on his post game

 

[ABM]

Pretty much everybody who signs a contract from that year forward takes a hit. Also, it tends to turn contracts like Lamarcus, if he doesn't start producing, into something similar in situatin to Hot Rod Williams contract..

Or, heaven forbid, Jon Koncak?

 

[Mediocre Man]

Very interesting.

Bad timing for us. Trail Blazers should be championship contenders in 2010-2011.

Based on what?

 

[Mediocre Man]

Let's see.......

On one hand I could watch the greatest athletes in the world play a game and make more money in a year than most make in their lifetime.

Or, I could watch athletes that are all still greater than me play a game and make a yearly salary that makes my ticket prices go down by 1/2?


Not really a tough call.

 

[hasoos]

Or, heaven forbid, Jon Koncak?

Man I had totally blocked that dude out of my mind. One of the worst centers/contracts ever.

 

[ABM]

Man I had totally blocked that dude out of my mind. One of the worst centers/contracts ever.

Yep.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Koncak

Jon Francis Koncak (born May 17, 1963 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa) is an American former professional basketball player. A 7'0" center from Southern Methodist University, Koncak was selected with the 5th pick in the 1985 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks. Koncak spent ten seasons with the Hawks (1985-1995), mainly in a reserve role, then concluded his career with the Orlando Magic. He retired in 1996 with career totals of 3,520 points and 3,856 rebounds.

Though a reliable defender for much of his career, Koncak is perhaps best remembered for the six-year, US$ 13 million contract he received from the Hawks in 1989 - an unprecedented total for a reserve. The deal was roundly criticized since it paid Koncak more than Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. His large contract prevented the Hawks from taking part in any other major free agent signings for several years. As a result, he earned the derisive nickname "Jon Contract."

 

[crowTrobot]

So, Oden and/or Bayless will be the ones taking the hit??

assuming he proves he is in playing shape i'm guessing oden/blazers will both want to settle for a mid-range extension this summer, something like 4/25-30 with a team option on the 4th similar to martell's deal but a little more $.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Olympiakos and Panathinaikos will offer somebody a huge contract in the lockout year, and somebody will accept. It'll be interesting.

Maybe I'll get some real work done, and remember that this game is pretty stupid, too.

 

[ABM]

Olympiakos and Panathinaikos will offer somebody a huge contract in the lockout year, and somebody will accept. It'll be interesting.

Maybe I'll get some real work done, and remember that this game is pretty stupid, too.

http://www.thegrio.com/2010/01/are-nba-stars-americas-most-popular-new-export.php

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

In a perfect world the NBA would have no more guaranteed contracts!

Darius wouldn't be getting $9m this season from the Blazers.

Players wont coast after they sign a big extension (Bynum, I'm looking at you)

Tracy McGrady wouldn't be making nearly $10m more this season than LeBron James.

Etc.

 

[hasoos]

In a perfect world the NBA would have no more guaranteed contracts!

Darius wouldn't be getting $9m this season from the Blazers.

Players wont coast after they sign a big extension (Bynum, I'm looking at you)

Tracy McGrady wouldn't be making nearly $10m more this season than LeBron James.

Etc.

That is why they want to go to an NFL style system. You can cut anybody you want, for any reason. You have several protected players which you can name franchise players and make it extremely difficult for them to move teams, because teams will have to give up #1's in return for them. I am all for it.

 

[RR7]

With the NFL system, though, we could easily have guys holding out for more guaranteed money, not signing after the draft because they want more, holding out of current contracts, etc. I don't see either system as perfect. Hopefully they can work out a blend of the two somehow.

 

[LittleAlex]

Let's see.......

On one hand I could watch the greatest athletes in the world play a game and make more money in a year than most make in their lifetime.

Or, I could watch athletes that are all still greater than me play a game and make a yearly salary that makes my ticket prices go down by 1/2?


Not really a tough call.

Salaries may very well go down, but I wouldn't expect ticket prices to drop by much.

 

[hasoos]

With the NFL system, though, we could easily have guys holding out for more guaranteed money, not signing after the draft because they want more, holding out of current contracts, etc. I don't see either system as perfect. Hopefully they can work out a blend of the two somehow.

Um no, not really. The NFL has a rookie salary scale just like the NBA currently does. The guys that have held out the last few years, have failed, and I have been puzzled as to why they even tried with a rookie salary scale in place.

NBA players can hold out now if they want. They just don't do it very often. Hell Clyde held out for a while one year I remember. Tmac has held out several times in the past.

 

[RR7]

The NFL does not have a rookie scale like the NBA does at all. If it did, you would never see players being late to cammp. As it is, they are late all the time.

 

[RR7]

Also, when did McGrady holdout?

Drexler holding out was on a previous CBA. Now, there are specific amounts guys can sign for. Maximum salaries, adn salary slots. There are no holdouts in the NBA currently.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

I don't see it happening, but I'd settle for no more than 3 years of guaranteed contract. We would see a better product on the floor, imo.

This. Change the current 5 & 6 year contracts to 3 (for incoming FAs) & 4 (resigning your own), and we'd be much better off.

 

[MARIS61]

Let's see.......

On one hand I could watch the greatest athletes in the world play a game and make more money in a year than most make in their lifetime.

Or, I could watch athletes that are all still greater than me play a game and make a yearly salary that makes my ticket prices go down by 1/2?


Not really a tough call.

Nor a realistic assumption. You will never see your ticket prices go down.

Like the last lockout, this is just another money-grab by the uber-wealthy.

I doubt it will be successful for the owners this time, but I just have to laugh at the effect it may have on Comcast's profit margin.

 

[Ed O]

Ticket prices will go down or up irrespective of the players' salaries... demand drives prices, not the cost of the product. Owners strive to optimize revenues, and look at price elasticity, etc.

I think the quoted article's quotes might be a bit extreme, but I (and some others) have been saying this for a while, and it's the primary reason I think the Blazers should not have extended Roy and Aldridge at such extremely high levels.

Ed O.