link I really have to go to work, so I can't give this the treatment it deserves. I know I've criticized Simmons' style and lazy basketball commentary in the past but this insider's perspective on the NBA's potential NHL-style collapse deserves a read. Some memorable quotes:
It was a long read per usual with a Simmons column. He has a great pulse for the NBA. Most of what he says is true, however I don't agree that NBA officiating is as bad as he lets on. Other than that, a lot of what he's saying about the financial crisis and bad economy affecting the NBA next seems like information we just don't want to hear. Hopefully, things take a turn in the right direction but if they don't a lot of what he's claiming in this article could happen.
I haven't read the entire article, but these are the kind of articles that made simmons great. he does his research when he is interested in a topic. this is the most informative column i've read on the nba in a long time.
Kinda depressing really. NBA might have a couple teams too many. Was it really necessary to get Charlotte in the league? Hard to predict what it will be like 3 years from now. As much as they want to up the age limit to 20 and have more sure thing players, it will be like how it was with the Chris Corchiani/Todd Lichti/Adam Morrisons/Shawn Resperts, solid productive college players we follow and love, but who wont last in the NBA. Or their will be a couple more players doing the Brandon Jennings thing. There's a lot of turnover in the NFL with the non-guaranteed deals. But if a player cant play up to what he's worth he rightfully shouldnt be there. Well, a little early to tell but lets see if the NBA becomes more Euro-like paying players when they only feel they should get payed.
Great article by Bill! Ultimately the fans will decide the fate of the NBA. Stern and the owners need to clean this up. As a fan; I don't have to watch a crappy ass product, I have way too many other options.
I also thought this was an A++ article. One of his best, and easily the best he's written in a very long while. The NBA is going to have a brutally cold winter this offseason. Teams are going to be facing down significant revenue shortfall and a lowered luxury tax threshold, and will be in a scramble to get their payrolls down 10-20% even though everyone's dealing with guaranteed deals that have 5-10% raises built in. It's going to be nasty. The Rockets are in a position where they're going to almost have to hope McGrady stays out for almost all of next year so that insurance picks up 80% of his $23M to offset the books. I'm honestly thinking the league should take a near-emergency measure and reenact a variation of the Allan Houston rule. You can waive one player on your team, taking him off your cap and luxury tax books, with the option of paying off the contract over a period of 5 years. This could even be a deal where the NBA fronts the money to immediately buy out the remaining salary and the team has to repay the league over those 5 years. If you did that, it would make it much easier for teams to adjust their numbers and stay in line with a smaller cap and lux tax. It's all about sustainability. You can't run a league when half the teams are in the red. Not unless you want to enact some very serious revenue sharing. In 1988 or post Hornets? The original incarnation was doing great until Shinn poisoned the team-city relations. Stern sided with Shinn and moved the team not because he was in agreement but because Stern will back his owners over the cities in almost every conceivable scenario. Easier to find a new city than a new flush owner that can afford the team. The Bobcats were his version of a makeup call.
They need to quit pimping the good seats to corporations that suck the life out of the arenas and find a business model that makes good seats affordable and available to people who really love basketball.
Or maybe just don't pay these guys rediculous salaries. T-mac is making more then god sitting on his ass right now.
Right. A league facing financial trouble should stop attracting the people with the disposable income to drop on the good seats.
I personally think that in sport (All team sports) there should be a change in the way players are paid. You have your players who play the game, play well, but they just give you their production on the court/field and not much else. Then you have your superstars who give you their production on the court, and media attention, they attract sponsors, fans, they fill seats. I think the problem all sports have is that between the run of the mill players, and the superstars, you get a lot of players that are over paid. Yeah they produce, but they get paid more money than they actually make for their teams. I'm sure the NBA could find a way to fix this, maybe have a cap on player salaries at say 8 million a season, but allow one "Franchise" player per team that could be paid 20 million, but I think the players association would go off their heads over that. Something else to consider. If the NBA does have another lock out.....will we see players flood international leagues?