"You know what really irritates me now? It's when I hear of a (maximum contract) player asking to be traded. That's the most unbelievably ludicrous comment I've ever heard because when you demand a max contract, you're saying that you're committed to winning with them and leading the way. And then I hear these guys say they can't win there and need to go elsewhere. If that's the case, then you're not a max player." - Larry Brown. More on http://www.freep.com/sports/pistons/drew30e_20040930.htm <cough> Vince Carter <cough> Jason Kidd <cough> Shaq <cough> Tmac
1. Shaquille O'Neal Miami $29,464,288 2. Dikembe Mutombo New Jersey / Houston $18,771,511 3. Allan Houston New York $17,531,250 -. Chris Webber Sacramento $17,531,250 5. Kevin Garnett Minnesota $16,000,000 6. Damon Stoudamire Portland $15,750,000 7. Jason Kidd New Jersey $14,796,000 8. Jermaine O'Neal Indiana $14,782,500 9. Anfernee Hardaway New York $14,625,000 -. Antoine Walker Atlanta $14,625,000 -. Shareef Abdur-Rahim Portland $14,625,000 -. Latrell Sprewell Minnesota $14,625,000 -. Stephon Marbury New York $14,625,000 -. Zydrunas Illgauskas Cleveland $14,625,000 -. Ray Allen Seattle $14,625,000 -. Allen Iverson Philadelphia $14,625,000 17. Michael Finley Dallas $14,609,375 18. Grant Hill Orlando $14,487,000 -. Keith Van Horn Milwaukee $14,487,000 -. Jalen Rose Toronto $14,487,000 -. Tracy McGrady Houston $14,487,000 22. Tim Duncan San Antonio $14,260,640 23. Kobe Bryant LA Lakers $14,175,000 24. Eddie Jones Miami $13,440,000 25. Brian Grant LA Lakers $13,346,250 26. Tim Thomas New York $12,900,000 27. Antawn Jamison Washington $12,584,688 -. Vince Carter Toronto $12,584,688 -. Paul Pierce Boston $12,584,688 -. Dirk Nowitzki Dallas $12,584,688
<cough> Davis I can understand Shaq or Kidd though. Shaq and Lakers really came to the point where they simply cannot coexist, and Kidd isn't getting any younger and they just traded away half of the team for nothing because they couldn't afford it...
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Kwan1031:</div><div class="quote_post"><cough> Davis I can understand Shaq or Kidd though. Shaq and Lakers really came to the point where they simply cannot coexist, and Kidd isn't getting any younger and they just traded away half of the team for nothing because they couldn't afford it...</div>Yeah and Bdiddy like you said. Shaq still could have kept quiet about all those demands for contract extensions. I'm not saying Kobe is a saint, but Shaq needs to keep his mouth shut. First he gets busted for swearing live on TV several times where little kids that look up to him think it's okay to fly off the handle whenever they get frustrated or don't get their way. Then he always acts like he's the one in charge of the Lakers franchise, when he's the one that should be focussing on just playing and giving the fans a good show rather than running off at the mouth. An athlete is a paid entertainer. If you were running or owned a team and had constant criticism from your employees it would just wear thin after a while, you know. Especially, when all your employees happen to be millionaires (brought to you by your money and the paying fans) and they can't act like mature grownup professionals. Primadonnas ultimately find out the real truth about themselves in the end and that they are just big babies. It's really disheartening and I'm not saying it's just basketball. There's football, baseball, and others. I'm not saying players should be robots, but they should be better role models (especially if they make more money than most average nba players). And as for Shaq if he wanted out because the work environment was that bad then that's his right. But I thought his attitude towards the big contract extension and always moaning about calls not going his way and swearing his mouth off was just unprofessional. And that just ruins sports in general especially now that basketball seems to be more and more focussed on individual players than teamplay. Okay I'm done ranting.
It's max players who take cap space away for the team to surround you with other good players. Although you shouldn't have to sacrifice money, a player should be aware of the risk they take when taking a lot of money without backing it up with a certain amount of production. I think KG is a great example, as even though he has a $16 million contract, he could have asked for more and took a paycut from his previous years. Of course, if the owner was rich (and irresponsible) he wouldn't worry about it, but even Mark Cuban turned town giving Steve Nash an offer, showing that no one is going to do something they think is too risky in the long run.
Wish Mullin had that sense before they signed Foyle. Doh! He better put up Ben Wallace numbers for this to make sense. I mean I like the guy but man I'm nervous about losing our core.
