The column, while entertaining to read, has the numbers all out of wack. Is it really that hard to do a modicum of research when writing something like this? Is that asking too much?
When 'Melo first said that, I interpreted it to mean he felt the way the contract was structured was ridiculous, not so much the money involved. Was there ever any clarification on that?
I always thought Carmelo meant "ridiculous" in the way it was structured to be unmatchable to the knicks, not that Lin was getting paid too much. That may be giving him too much credit though and since he hasn't had anything to say since he made that comment, I'm guessing he really is just that stupid.
First, soft racism. Secondly, Omer Asik disagrees. Third, he got paid the salary for an above average pg. If he was getting paid because of his ethnicity and the marketing that comes with it he would be getting a max contract.
Good read ,Melo talked out of his a$$ tried to back track later just as JR smith did. The racist remark really doesnt matter to me, A holes will be A holes. What does aggravate me is calling out Lins contract . Specially when the Nba is known for high,oeverpayed contract. As for Dolan I think he got his feelings hurt,but at the same time I dont think he was ever 100% on Lin.
Before we can answer that you have to figure out how to teach you what the value of the contract it. First of all Lin has a statistically mid sized NBA contract, not a big one. A big contract is 6 years, and $119 million dollars for Joe Johnson or 5 years $100 million for Amare Stoudemire. A contract that averages out at $8 million a year for only 3 years in a league whose average salary is $5-6 million and average length is over 3 years is not a "big contract" Second ethnicity didn't get Lin his contract. The fact that he has a 20 PER, won the Knicks a dozen games, ranks in the top 10 in assists and points, has great TS%, 4th quarter production, points in the paint and puts opposing teams into early foul penalty got him his contract. The fact that having Lin on the court distributing provided Knicks role players like Steve Novak and Tyson Chandler career-high games, helped Chandler get onto the All-NBA team and a floundering Iman Shumpert on the All-Rookie team got him his contract. The fact that Morey could structure the cap space 8/8/8 and constitute a valuable expiring trade asset in the 3rd year got him his contract. The fact that in New York, Lin was enormously popular with local black, white, latino, asian, gay, straight, christian, jewish, muslim, old, young fans that drove local cable ratings sky high, drove up ticket prices to record levels and generally provided the high point for the Knicks in 12 years got him his contract. Third you should look down on the Knicks because they are STUPID and lost a valuable asset for nothing and you should look up to the Rockets for picking up an undervalued asset at favorable terms. You chew on those 3 points. When you decide you have gotten it get back to us and we'll work on your issues with moral equivalence rhetoric when it comes to black/asian race relations in the US.
Everyone is worried about the contract numbers and the guys basketball/research acumen while completely forgetting that none of that really matters when the entire purpose and scope of the piece is based on a social situation. Who gives a **** whether he gets the numbers right or if he even understand the details of the deal itself....he is providing commentary on society/racial undertones. You don't need to be an expert or even a basketball fan to have been able to come to that conclusion. This scenario pervades different areas of our day-to-day life, whether you want to acknowledge that or not.
of course racism has a lot to do with it. you cant have life without racism. Racism has existed since biblical times. Humans are tribal by nature. Now in this era of social media where hiding behind a computer & screen name & taking out the normal human etiquette to be respectful of others because there is no consequence, its only going to get worse. Racism is flourishing because of social media. The article was 100% on point & it deserved its own thread.
I'm surprised the article didn't mention the J.R. Smith quote about Lin's contract potentially causing friction because "other" players had done what Lin did for a longer time and had not been rewarded with a similar contract. Smith's quote is more reflective of the attitude that Lin was only getting the pay day because he is Asian, and not because his play showed enough potential to merit such a contract. The debate whether or not Lin's play during his starting stretch should have lead to $25 mil would be almost nonexistent if Lin were African American, and guys like Smith would have kept their mouths shut.
indeed. and it's all over the place. so annoying. these type of stories attract every lazy hack to publish something.
That's exactly what I thought. I thought Carmelo meant "ridiculous" in the way it was structured, but JR Smith's public comments just plain stupid, and I have never seen/heard any pro athlete made those kind of comment about a fellow player. No wonder he couldn't get any offer from the other 29 teams after opt out his contract, and only the Knicks picked him back. What a pair of losers.
"It's a great deal for the Rockets, who get a bargain for two years and at worst an expiring contract / trade asset in the third." And this part is totally wrong. Terrible article overstating Carmelo quote and getting facts wrong left and right.
I think that's what he meant, too. And here's an excerpt from a USA Today article that backs that interpretation. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/bask...-on-Lin-deal-I-hope-we-get-it-done/56274168/1
