Kwame Brown turned down 4 yrs $30 millions extention last summer?

Kwame, just like Swift/Chandler/Curry/Dalembert, are all looking for money close to what Okur/Foyle/Camby/Boozer got last summer which is around 8-10M per season. That's what the market is for big men in the NBA, whether that's their true value or not.

 

One more thing...the thing that gets me is the story about Kwame and his suits. Him balling them up and throwing them in the corner of his room because he didnt know they needed to be dry cleaned. I think that is a microcosm of High Schoolers entering the NBA.

What kind of "program" is set up for these guys? Do they have a true mentor? I wonder about this. I mean these kids are HUGE investments to the team. It seems like it would be a no-brainer if the HSer had a teammate on the team be his big brother AND additionally that HSer would have a "handler" that would handle other non-basketball issues. How can that HSer focus on basketball when they are too worried or unsure or unaware about life issues?

 

That is why I am for the age limit. Not all HSers are as mature as LeBron James.

 

I am pretty much pro-age limit as well.

 

Very good article.
Makes you wonder how smart Brown is though. He for one doesn't deserve anything close to what he was offered but the part about the suits was terrible. we have a real genius here...

 

That was the market for big men last year. I suspect this year it might be different due to there being less teams with cap space and possible changes to the CBA.

 

Perhaps. It will be interesting to see what happens. My gut says though that they will still get money in that range.

I also am going to bet that Atlanta and New Orleans get USED all summer by RFA's to force their own teams to match offers.

 

But what about guys like LeBron or Amare, who succeeded immediately in the NBA? Is it fair to them to say they don't have a right to get paid when they're capable of playing at 18?

This isn't a small matter for those guys. LeBron didn't gain 4 or 5 million by skipping college and going to the NBA. He gained 2 more years of max salary in his early 20s, when his rookie contract expires years before it would have had he gone to college, plus more every other year due to annual percentage raises. Not to mention the millions and millions in endorsement money he'd be earning otherwise.

I think a legitimate minor league would go a long way towards developing young players who aren't ready for the NBA.

 

The big men are lesss and less important now. The zone defense, the way how fouls are being called all in favor or little guys.

 

IIRC the Players Union has a liason for young players who become millionaires overnight, but I think it's entirely voluntary for the players to participate.

 

If I am the team, I dont let my investment walk around without a liason. The team should force the liason on that person at least for a little while. Kids dont always know what's best for them. Just cuase they are kids now with money shouldnt make it any different.

 

some sort of NBA minor league is long overdue, NBDL is close but without team affiliations it's pretty useless

I'm against an age limit... good idea for most but it's completely unfair for the few who are ready. A good deal of the guys who aren't ready for the NBA still end up getting paid and get NBA coaching...

I realize the majority of HS'ers need to play to get better but that's on them and their agent who tells them they are ready... GM's will get better at picking those who are ready and agents will see their kids being taken in the second round, getting cut, and realize they are screwing themselves out of big money

 

Curry's agent asked for a max extension.

Strangely that ended all talks with the Bulls

 

One compromise is to allow young guys for the 1st round but to have an age limit for the second round.

If the teams are up enough on a player to give them a guaranteed contract, then they should also be up enough on them to make sure that they are ready and dont go off the rails.

 

I remember last year reading realgm that he turned down 4 years for $13 million NOT $30 mil. As stupid as Brown is...he still wouldn't turn down $30 mil.

 

Four years and $13 million would have been a pay cut.

 

That would be the idea.

 

RealGM, now there is a source of inside news!

4 years 13M? LOL. That's less than the MLE.

4yr 30M. That's around 7M a year. He probably DID turn that down hoping to get market value of around 8-9M per.

 

But he'll still get more than that in the end. He is still very yong, and big men takes more time to develop.