Kobe already has 5 rings...I'm sure there is diminishing returns. Of course guys like Dirk with only 1 ring would take a paycut, because winning another ring is worth more. Once you have 5 though, the next one is just whatever to him.
i think you meant "wouldn't" instead of "would" in the original post, that's where the confusion is coming from. ----------- re the thread. I hope he gets 20 mil + again. I'm tired of the Lakers winning but I'd love to see Kobe play a few more years and gun for Kareem's scoring record, just for old times sake. A 38 year old Kobe as the main option on that team. That's the perfect scenario for me.
I think some people are taking this kind of out of context. The point he was trying to make is that he's not gonna take less than he deserves, not that he won't take less than he's currently being paid. That would be pretty ridiculous, and I'm pretty sure even Kobe realizes that he's not worth that kind of money anymore. He implies he's willing to negotiate.
As much as you all dislike Kobe, do you really think he needs to take a paycut at the level he's playing at? Especially from his last season form?
The Lakers should call his bluff. Sit down with him and tell the guy, "Look, Kobe, the NBA world as we've known it has changed. The new CBA is hell for teams in our position. It isn't your fault. It isn't your fault that after all these years you got this rediculous and very serious injury. We want you to finish your career with the Lakers. We want you to finish an amazing career with a winning team, a contending team. We just lost what we thought was going to be the future linchpin of the franchise after you had finally retired, whenever that comes to pass. Why? Because Houston created the environment Howard apparently wanted to play in (yes, I know that's crazy, Kobe, but there it is), and had the cap room to sign him. So we're left with you injured and recovering, to full health, we hope, and a team with only one really good complimentary piece, Pau. We need to sign some good players to put around you two, and if we have to pay you what you've been getting, that's damned near impossible. Look, we could have amnestied you instead of Metta, but we took a leap of faith. Faith that you are going to have a full recovery and give us a few more years at a very high level. We know nothing matters to you more than winning a championship, and nothing would be worse than not being a contender. So please, please consider a smaller contract. You've done well by us, and we've done well by you. Let's contsruct a winning team. Make it possible!" Something like that. Had it been me, I would have had that conversation before showing Artest the door. Then there would have been the real threat of an amnesty, even unspoken. Too bad for the Lakers. I must say that seeing them in this pickle has me grinning. :-D-
Kobe also wants the all time scoring record, something that would be much harder to achieve if he wasn't the first option on offense.
Kobe is dumb, he's clearly worth over $100M and could be like Tom Brady by taking a paycut trying to get his 6th ring to tie MJ or he can soak up $25M of the lakers cap and go at it with guys like Nash and Jamison. When he won with Bynum and Gasol, Bynum wasn't making much yet. It's going to be hard to get anyone to go there with dwight basically showing he hated kobe as a teammate and kobe taking up all that money. Really who needs more than $100M?? Greed is what will keep kobe from the 6th ring.
Why should Kobe take a pay cut. Kobe is God. Does Allah, Jesus or Vishnu take a pay cut? I think not.
Kobe would be pretty stupid saying right now that he'll take a paycut without having any idea of the organization's plans for 2014 and while losing all his leverage going into that. For example, he could trade a paycut for a demand that they bring Phil back or whatnot. If he says now that he will take a paycut, he loses much of that leverage.
