<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> August 8, 2007 - 5:01 pm Pacers.com - When asked by Pacers.com where he would like to be at the start of the 2007-2008 season, Jermaine O'Neal had the following to say: "I want to be here. I want to be a Pacer. All along, my concern has been the well-being of the team. Obviously, we haven't had the type of years we would expect for quite a few reasons. We've had a lot of distractions. But I have a lot of respect for this city and I hear where they're coming from, as far as wanting a winner."</div> source Is he staying or just trying to leave Indiana w/o burning bridges?
He's pulling a Kobe. Say one thing one day and saying something different the next. He needs to make up his mind, stay or go.
The players need to realize it doesn't matter what they want. They don't get to dictate where they go, the owners and GMs do.
Indiana wants way too much for him and he would have little impact on LA's position in the west. Bynum needs the minutes this year to find out if he is the real deal. If he is a bust then JO will be available next year as a free agent.
<div class="quote_poster">shapecity Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">The players need to realize it doesn't matter what they want. They don't get to dictate where they go, the owners and GMs do.</div> I don't buy that for one second. The players have so much power these days because they can refuse to report to camp...trade breaks down. Hell, even Gary Payton was a thorn in the Lakers side when we tried trading him.
<div class="quote_poster">Mamba Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">I don't buy that for one second. The players have so much power these days because they can refuse to report to camp...trade breaks down. Hell, even Gary Payton was a thorn in the Lakers side when we tried trading him.</div> Yup, a player can do what he wants now. A guy like Kobe, could show up tomorrow, say, I'm leaving the Lakers, ask for a buy-out, go to a team like the Bobcats or the Bulls, heck even Boston, and play, because he has power to do whatever. The reason is money. Basketball is a business now, which pisses me off. What happened to the old days when guys played for the love of the game. Now, it is all money, business, do this and do that. Play for the game you ungrateful pricks. These guys in the NBA, possibly the greatest athletes in the world, ask to get traded and, I want this guy, like babies fighting over a toy. You want to win, take a pay cut, help management, don't abandon your team, ask for more money and leave. I understand guys want to win at certain points in their career. Wait then, when you contract runs out, discuss it then. Till that happens, play hard, play for the love, try and win. Kevin Garnett, wanted to win, I'm going to assume he knew what he was going to be traded for, and it was some type of factor in his trade to Boston along with Ray Allen. Minnesota got great young talent in return. Know, I don't know the whole story, but I know this much. As much as he wanted to win, and his team was crap most of the year, he still played his heart out. JO, does too, but he says he does, and then he doesn't. Why? Just come out and say "I want to win, the Pacers can't win, trade me". I'm tired of it already, players should just come out and say sh*t. If you are amazing, like KG, JO, and Bryant, then you can say I hate my team, I'll play for yours, and the team will take him, no problem because he can play. These guys take what they have and use it to their advantage with asking for trades and sh*t. Play for the love of the game. Talk money after.
<div class="quote_poster">Mamba Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">I don't buy that for one second. The players have so much power these days because they can refuse to report to camp...trade breaks down. Hell, even Gary Payton was a thorn in the Lakers side when we tried trading him.</div> They made a rule change in the latest CBA which punishes players who don't report to camp. In the past they still got to keep their paychecks, with the new rule they face fines, suspensions, and they lose their pay for everyday they don't report. If you think the NBA players have egos, the owners of the teams have even bigger ones. These owners are billionaires, they are not going to bend over for players if the players start whining and disrespecting them. Let's use Shaq for example. He called out Dr. Buss demanded to be paid $33Million and asked to be traded to a warm weather city. Shaq got his wish and was shipped out to Miami, but Shaq didn't get the money he wanted. He took a 40% reduction in his asking price to play with the Heat. Shaq cost himself a total of $65Million to be traded out of Los Angeles, plus I'm sure he lost even more with the endorsement deals he was getting in LA. Endorsement deals are often times just as much or more than their contracts. Shaq might have cost himself close to $100M in total to be traded.
