It's Time to Eliminate Max Contracts

The current GM of the Warriors didn't draft any of those players other than Green. So let's not act like luck didn't play a big part of this. The Warriors had high draft picks for literally decades and nothing came of it.

Bob Myers deserves credit for Green, but even he was going to Chicago before Thibs lost a power battle and the Bulls took Teague.

Steve Kerr was a failed GM and was 24 hours from taking the Knicks job and probably would already be out of NY.

The more opportunities you have and eventually you will hit on some as an organization. The Warriors organization deserves some credit but most of the team building was by a prior GM with a spotted record.

Luck plays a big part... Would Durant be a Rocket had he been a free agent last year? Quite possible.... What is Kyrie and Love were healthy the year before last? Look at Jerry Krause.... He is viewed as the builder of the 6 championship Bulls.... But he was terrible without Jordan and was fired.

 

Things can change in 2 years but the Rockets should have no confidence Harden will stay. He is likely to end up in LA where he can team up with Westbrook and others.

 

Couldn't agree more.


Max contracts have basically led to the salary cap increase causing mass inflation, which will be spread on to the consumer in some way or form. No max contracts may not fix this completely, and but will offset it by a big margin.

You wouldn't have guys that are averaging 15 ppg with a long enough injury history getting 20 million dollars a year.


It's funny, to me, because these contracts are on par with football contracts - a sport where you're supposedly paid more because of the risk of the game. A sport that now, essentially pays their athletes the lowest net salary of all major sports. I wonder how those owners feel?

 

Most y'all are too young to remember. The Salary Cap SAVED the NBA. David Stern implemented to bring competitive balance to the league dominated by the Lakers and Celtics. The fact that it is not a Hard cap and teams can still pay to keep their own players really makes it work. It's not going anywhere...neither is maximum salaries. Those where implemented after they revised the rookie scale so vets get the money, instead of rookies.

 

There may be changes made in next CBA.... Already rumblings that other owners and GM's are not happy at all... The Warriors owner and GM do not have many fans in front offices around the league with how arrogant they are.

 

Dumbest statement Ive heard. Max contracts HELP the current team. They are the only ones that can give a 5th year and also can offer more money.

 

Yeah, but his point is that you wouldn't be able to afford three max players on one team.

Steph would command half the salary cap, as would Durant.

I don't see how it's a dumb statement, to be honest. The dumbest statement is the one calling the original statement dumb.

 

No I don't agree. The max is artificially low which encourages players to leave. The 5th year isn't enough incentive. A simple single super max for players on the same team three previous years at twice the normal max would solve a lot of the problems. It wouldn't have to count against the cap more than a regular max contract unless traded. That would really limit movement of franchise players. The Thunder would have gladly paid him $55,000,000 a year over 4-5 years to stay.

 

Why? OKC had 9 years of KD and didn't win a ring, now you blame GSW for being such a great destination KD would go there? Max contracts are there to PREVENT super teams from happening, because otherwise teams with bad GMs would shoot themselves in the foot to retain their stars. Remember those Twolves teams with KG and scrubs? Well that's because KG by himself made 90% of the cap, so the twolves didn't have money to pay for other good players. If you removed the cap you'd have maybe 5 or 6 stacked teams and 20+ unwatchable teams with 1 star and dleague standouts, eventually the league will close down because these other teams would get stomped down into the ground imagine Grizzlies paying 90% of the cap just to keep Conley around.

More importantly though the NBPA itself will shut down such a proposal it means 99% of the NBA revenue will go to just 1% of the population, and NBA will lose talent as other players will be forced to play overseas, what's the lure for a guy like Scola to go to the NBA when he will make 5M or less per year due to NBA superstars making all of the money? It's a bad proposal which will water down the NBA as a product I doubt they do this. Fact is the NBA LOVES superteams that's how rivalries are made, Silver probably prayed every night for this signing to happen. Now Wade will have some pressure to go to the Cavs, and when he does expect GSW-Cavs matchups to break viewing records again.

KD has given 9 years of his career and brought OKC to multiple WCF and even a Finals appearance, without him OKC can't even reach the playoffs which we saw last year.

 

I really see a major NBA strike with the OWNERs and players coming up next season. And fans should punish the NBA for not getting this right...STOP watching this BS. Stop buying tickets for a season that is essentially a forgone conclusion. Stop buy jerseys...etc. At some point the bubble breaks...

I dont know why I am so upset. Yes...I agree with the OP... And yes...CH I agree with you that OKC had 9 years to do something. Other than the GSW and the CAVS... if Durant any of the remaining NBA franchises, I wouldn't even be upset. To be a champion. You have to fail. You have to overcome odds and obstacles. You have to perservere in the face of adversity. When you win...its the greatest feeling ever. Lebron winning this year...helped him understand this feeling. Its far different than the titles he won in Miami.

Even if he joined the damn Spurs...I wouldnt care...

The NBA needed parity. Durant crushed it...

 

You are describing an artificial max. It does nothing to block three superstars from getting paid so-called "max: under the salary cap.

A_3PO is describing no upper limit on max's, so you cannot amass 3 superstars on one team...because the total team salary cap will block you -- soft cap will too. Doesn't the NFL have that no limit to franchise player salaries? It's also the way most all Fantasy Leagues work.

 

Getting rid of max contract and a hard (or harder) cap together would stop super teams.

 

No one is saying that hard caps are what should be instituted in this thread. About the 4th post I've had to ask if you have the mental capacities to continue posting on a public forum. Just stop.

 

He doesn't, come across several of his posts the last week. Guy is missing something upstairs.

 

Superteams and superstars drive TV ratings. The league is probably happy about this. TV / streaming is where the money is. That's why the salary cap spiked.

The championship is starting to become an all-star game. Durant is going to the Warriors because of fan votes, more or less. And voting doesn't come from a player's home city. It's internet and from everywhere in the world.

 

So... tell me something:

If you are Jeremy Lin, E'Twaun Moore, Kent Bazemore or Jon Leuer, why would you vote for an NFL-type system with a team cap but no individual max? Such a system would seriously cramp your earning potential.

 

Having Dwight walk wasn't that bad, we all saw it coming...but Harden (as much as I rag on him) just walking and going to another team would be a lot to take. I hope this puts Darryl and Les on their toes at least. No more cap flexibility excuses, put the best product possible in this shrinking window we have to contend.

 

This is true, very hard to strike a balance with contributing role players.

 

Even if this were to pass the player's union, it might not be enough. The top dogs can make 40 million / year just from endorsements. If a top player wants to max his $, he needs a fulltime marketing team to figure out what to do, and it might be better for him to take a slightly lower salary.

I think mainly what this would really do is skew the $ distribution to B+/A- players at the expense of the C+ players. Players like Kyle Lowry or Kevin Love would take money from the Jeremy Lins.

You'd end up with the Durants and Lebrons making $40 mill, the Kyle Lowrys making $35 million, and the Jeremy Lins making $5 million.

 

I have seen lots of posts similar to what you wrote, basically the point is that Rox is mediocre because Rox has no luck, it has nothing to do with organization or GM.

I believe most of those posts are from someone who are close with the status quo organization.


Let's look at the numbers:

GSW drafts:

2009: #7 Curry
2010: #6 Ekpe Udoh
2011: #11 Klay Thompson, #44 Charles Jenkins
2012: #7 Harrison Barnes, #30 Festus Ezeli, #35 Draymond Green, #52 Ognjen Kuzmic

Their current core are from draft picks, it is either they pick well, or they have a GREAT organization with bringing up players.

Houston drafts:
2009: no picks

2010: #14 Patrick Patterson
drafts after Houston, #18 Erick Bledsoe, #33 Hassan Whiteside

2011: #14 Marcus Morris, #23 Nikola Mirotic, #38 Chandler Parsons
drafts after Houston, #15 Kawhi Leonard, #17 Iman Shumpert, #24 Reggie Jackson, #30 Jimmy Butler

2012: #12 Jeremy Lamb, #16 Royce White, #18 Terrence Jones
drafts after Houston, #20 Evan Fournier, #30 Festus Ezeli, #35 Draymond Green

Houston has 1 player left on the team, Terrence Jones, I am not sure he is the core.

And think about it, in 2011, Houston could draft Kawhi Leonard, Reggie Jackson, Jimmy Butler, and that could be the core.

Case closed.