Stein Even before extent of J.R. Smith's injury known, you wonder: What impact will it have on willingness of locked-out NBA stars to play abroad?
Stein Lockout leaves no choice but to scour globe for places to play, but bad injury in Smith's China debut brings the nightmare scenario to life
This is exactly why I didn't want LA or Wes or Nic to play elsewhere. Fuck the whole... "You can get injured anywhere" argument.
JR Smith has made over $23 million in the NBA, he's rarely been a starter, and he is only 26 years old. I just wonder why in the hell a guy who has made that much money would go to China to play ball, especially considering his contract can now be voided if he can't play. Good luck collecting on that one, JR. The NBA players are like the Keystone Kops in this lockout. Dumbest pro athletes, ever.
The union's idea of competitive balance is laughable. They think teams who overspend should be 'taxed' with giving up their first round pick. So late first round picks will help to keep the competitive balance? If anything that'll make it worse. Late first rounders rarely produce players who aren't anything more than role players. Along with a strict/hard/flex (what-have-you) cap, I think contraction of a few teams would greatly improve the talent pool. Sacramento is a prime candidate given the financial woes of the Maloof brothers and arena issues. New Orleans should be an automatic contraction. A darkhorse candidate should be the Hawks. That arena is always empty, barely half full, even for playoff games. A contraction draft would be interesting.
I imagine JR Smith got himself covered by insurance before he went over. Akin to high-profile college players getting themselves insured before big bowl games or their final year.
So much for the NBA 'monopoly' on players' opportunities to make a living playing basketball. Good luck with that anti-trust lawsuit.
Maybe some basketball players enjoy playing basketball? He could get injured playing pickup in the states as well. Not all players want to sit on their ass like Shawn Kemp during a lockout and get fat.
If a player has a realistic expectation of being able to play 7 years of professional basketball, a year of lockout will eliminate 1/7th of his lifetime earnings. I don't really blame any of these guys for going out and trying to make some coin, even if it's a fraction of the amount they'd make in a regular season. The meter is running on their careers. Who knows what their salaries will look like after the lockout ends. Even if you only make $75k playing in Europe, in 30 years at 9% interest that's a million bucks. Provided you take out lots of insurance so you aren't threatening your lifetime earning prospects, it's not a bad idea to think long term. You're 25, you want a wife, kids, retirement income when you're 60. Obviously, for the average $2m/year player, it's a much better deal for them to just get an agreement signed now and start playing NBA basketball. But it ain't a bad idea to maximize your playing years to the best of your ability if the NBA won't let you play. As for the guys like Kobe or Aldridge or Deron Williams who are easily set for life, well, they're competitors. They got where they are by having great motors. It's not exactly shocking that they find it really hard to turn that motor off just because the NBA won't let them play. It's probably less about the money and more about the knowledge that, again, the meter is running. They will only be elite athletes for a few years.
Totally; doing the math to extend the metaphor, the average working career of a person in the US is 45 years (21 to 65 years old), though when you include part time stuff during college and during high school, it's longer... but at the "professional" level for a college grad, it's 45 years. Losing 1/7 of your lifetime earnings is like having no job for 6.42 years. When I thought about it in that light, I totally see why players are going to be highly eager to (for most all of them) earn money during a prime year of their career. The age bell curve means that most players are in their prime at any one time; these guys are going to lose a year of prime playing/earning if they don't play. Even your jobbers and bench warmers are most likely to be in their highest earning years... I can't muster much sympathy for either side, but I can see where these guys are coming from, even if it does reduce their leverage conceptually.
So basketball is the only job these guys are allowed to have in their entire lives? If the NBA owners don't 'let' them play for the NBA, they are incapable of working? Before my millionaire rock star career started, I had to get a real job. I'm lucky. I still have it. The millionaire rock star career, not so much. Christ, even the fans think the players are entitled, like it's their birthright to be paid millions of dollars.
He was a free agent, so there is no contract to void coming back here. And he signed there for 3 million dollars. Make 3 million, or don't make 3 million. Hmmm. Which choice would I make. beats playing for free like other guys are doing. Sucks he hurt his knee. As has been mentioned, he could have done it in one of the many charity games going on currently, or one of the many pick up games like the Rucker park ones Durant and beasley were in.
And without looking too deep into their post season set up, their regular season is only 34 games, compared to 82 here. So his 3 million guaranteed deal is the equivalent to a 7million plus NBA deal, in per game salary. More than he's ever made in the league. Not a bad decision, knee injury or not.
It could be argued only by you. As Denny and Ed O say, this is settled law. But keep tilting at windmills.
Hunter says there are about 40 remaining issues. The owners were hoping to stall until the players caved in on them. Hollinger's just writing to fill up space while trying to appear neutral.
Just heard that the players filed for a voluntary dismissal of their lawsuit. Anyone know what this means for the lockout? Apparently there's a press conference about this in a few minutes.
