Should Stern increase the salary cap?

[mistwiya]

To battle the situation with Europe?

[WildcardManu]

Not until a superstar crosses the ocean but right now it's good to start thinking about it.

[ducks]

no

[ducks]

next union meeting
players going back to overseas will be discussed

[exstatic]

What situation? So far it's been one American HS student, and one sixth man restricted FA. I don't care if the Euros go back.

[ShoogarBear]

I don't care if the Euros go back.

I suspect that David Stern does. Not the ones that have to date, of course, but he's thinking about the future Dirks and Manus.

[boutons_]

I'd rather Stern cancel all B2Bs, and reduce the franchises to 20 or less concentrate the talent which is diluted badly so that many teams simply aren't competitive.

[manufor3]

yes

[ChumpDumper]

It's not Stern's decision to make.

It's the owners'.

[Big P]

Chumps right, Stern can raise the salary cap all he wants, but if the owners dont want to pay money out, then ultimately it is on them.

[DespЏrado]

I have been wondering about this and maybe a few tweaks are enough to fix this in the very short run, provided that you believe the dollar will rebound, drastic increases in the cap will only hurt small market teams and make it harder to stay competitive as a business. Most teams probably can't afford a big increase in the cap when revenue might be on the decline, as budgets get tighter even in the business world things like season tickets are just a luxury people can skimp on...

Here are a bunch of random ideas I think would fix the problem:
1) Raise the cap moderately by maybe 6-10 million,
2) Increase the minimum salary in the nba to a much higher level of 2-3 million a year
3) Allow teams to match salary offers on players getting offers from oversees with a reduced penalty against the luxury tax, a good way of doing this is that a 1-1 conversion of the dollars to Euro would count against the luxury tax, and the additional amount to make up for the exchange rate wouldn't. This would scare a lot of European teams from even bidding on our players.
4) start 4 new teams and graduate them in one each year for the next 4 years. The additional new teams will add to the slots available for NBA talent and keep more players from going oversees. The expansion drafts alone would vastly open up slots for needed talent.
5) Do away almost entirely with the rookie scale. It's a nice system but I believe it predates the luxury tax and as such isn't as necessary when sound spending is now enforced with the luxury tax.
6) Instead of rookie pay scale have a rookie salary cap, each team can spend so much on their unsigned rookies, but they can divide it any way they see fit, and have it equal to the the total MLE+LLE, and have that be a hard cap that carries over for the length of the rookie contract which would be limited to 1- 2 years with a -3rd year as a team option that wouldn't count against the rookie cap.
7) Allow NBA teams to pay more on international buyouts.

[ChumpDumper]

Chumps right, Stern can raise the salary cap all he wants, but if the owners dont want to pay money out, then ultimately it is on them.Well, Stern can't really raise the cap either. That's part of the CBA that the owners and players' union work out amongst themselves. I'm sure Stern will have some input, but the negotiations are between those parties.

[Big P]

Well, Stern can't really raise the cap either. That's part of the CBA that the owners and players' union work out amongst themselves. I'm sure Stern will have some input, but the negotiations are between those parties.

Gotcha, but I think you know what I meant...either way, if Stern or the NBA wanted to raise the cap, they would figure out a way to do it...bottom line is. if the owners don't want to pay the cash, they don't have to.

[ShoogarBear]

Here are a bunch of random ideas I think would fix the problem:

Some thought-provoking ideas. Hope you don't mind my taking shots at them.


1) Raise the cap moderately by maybe 6-10 million, The most straightforward, but do you also raise the minimum team salary, too? Essentially you'll revive the old ABA/NBA bidding wars. Does the league want to do that at this particular point in time?



2) Increase the minimum salary in the nba to a much higher level of 2-3 million a yearSo then people already making 2-3 million are now making the minimum. Also completely throws the rookie scale out of whack. You'd also have to raise the cap to make this work.


3) Allow teams to match salary offers on players getting offers from oversees with a reduced penalty against the luxury tax, a good way of doing this is that a 1-1 conversion of the salary to American dollars would count against the luxury tax, and the additional amount to make up for the exchange rate wouldn't. This would scare a lot of European teams from even bidding on our players. Why would it scare them away? It's not like RFAs in the NBA, where if the other team matches, you might lose out on other players you could have made the offer to.

What that will do is guarantee that every free agent tries to get a European contract, because it automatically gives them the bargaining chip of extra dollars against the cap.


4) start 4 new teams and graduate them in one each year for the next 4 years. The additional new teams will add to the slots available for NBA talent and keep more players from going oversees. The expansion drafts alone would vastly open up slots for needed talent.Highly unlikely, and way too expensive even if some people thought the league could survive expansion.


5) Do away almost entirely with the rookie scale. It's a nice system but I believe it predates the luxury tax and as such isn't as necessary when sound spending is now enforced with the luxury tax. Rookie scale and luxury tax were part of the same CBA in 1999, I believe. And they had two separate goals. The point of the rookie scale was to protect salaries for mid-level veterans. The point of the luxury tax was to protect owners from themselves.


6) Instead of rookie pay scale have a rookie salary cap, each team can spend so much on their unsigned rookies, but they can divide it any way they see fit, and have it equal to the the total MLE+LLE, and have that be a hard cap that carries over for the length of the rookie contract which would be limited to 2-3 years. So now you are pitting each team's rookies and their agents against each other to split up the rookie salary pie? Not a great way to start team unity, and there would be a disincentive for any rookies to go to a team that had just drafted, say, LeBron James.


7) Allow NBA teams to pay more on international buyouts. All the European teams will do is increase the amount of the buyouts.

[Ice009]

Not unless the Spurs benefit from it ;).

[v2freak]

Please no...athletes make entirely too much money in the US anyway, IMO. If they want to chase the big cash somewhere else, that's the inequity-inducing problem of other countries.

[DynastyBuilder]

Texas...could have one team... Rockets and Spurs would have to figure out who would represent Texas.

http://failblog.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/fail-owned-another-failbus.jpg

[ducks]

What situation? So far it's been one American HS student, and one sixth man restricted FA. I don't care if the Euros go back.

what about manu and tp

[DynastyBuilder]

Spurs would represent Texas:toast

http://failblog.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/fb118.jpg

[Spurtacus]

Something needs to be done, that's for sure. Preferably before the 09 free agency.

[DespЏrado]

Some thought-provoking ideas. Hope you don't mind my taking shots at them.

Sure thing that's why I wrote them...


The most straightforward, but do you also raise the minimum team salary, too? Essentially you'll revive the old ABA/NBA bidding wars. Does the league want to do that at this particular point in time?
Not sure I follow how a minor cap increase creates a bidding war?


So then people already making 2-3 million are now making the minimum. Also completely throws the rookie scale out of whack. You'd also have to raise the cap to make this work.
The increase could adjust everyone up by percentile and yes I suggest a moderate increase to the cap.


Why would it scare them away? It's not like RFAs in the NBA, where if the other team matches, you might lose out on other players you could have made the offer to.
I realize that but, that's already going to happen at least this way the euro teams would have to make an even more ridiculous offer (hopefully more than they can afford without it penalizing the NBA teams for having to match some of the reasonable offers that the Europeans are getting.

What that will do is guarantee that every free agent tries to get a European contract, because it automatically gives them the bargaining chip of extra dollars against the cap.
Yup that's already happening. But those Euro teams may be less likely to get in a direct bidding war with the buying power of the NBA teams who already have an established business model that supports the high salaries. And at least the NBA teams would have a choice to let a player go or sign them without so much of a penalty in terms of the luxury tax.


Highly unlikely, and way too expensive even if some people thought the league could survive expansion.

Adding teams is actually the least expensive option for the teams already present, and it is a fix that will provide spaces for players that are close to the jump. And hopefully by the end of it, the dollar will have regained it's value against the Euro....It is in some ways the least palatable option but the most effective fix for the foreseeable future. And teams in Seattle and Las Vegas are already an inevitability, just a matter of time.


Rookie scale and luxury tax were part of the same CBA in 1999, I believe. And they had two separate goals. The point of the rookie scale was to protect salaries for mid-level veterans. The point of the luxury tax was to protect owners from themselves.

So now you are pitting each team's rookies and their agents against each other to split up the rookie salary pie? Not a great way to start team unity, and there would be a disincentive for any rookies to go to a team that had just drafted, say, LeBron James.
yes it would hurt unity but the draft order already establishes a pecking order, and by saying it is the MLE + LLE you are establishing a de facto ratio on the new contracts. And how could other teams push to get a player someone else has the rights to?


All the European teams will do is increase the amount of the buyouts.
4 million wasn't bad enough? I don't care if the buyout system is somewhat raised it won't be raised to 4 million though. But 2 million for Europeans teams is nothing to spurn.

[mrspurs]

no

[Obstructed_View]

What does it matter? If the European teams start signing big named players for more money then there will just be more basketball on TV in the US. The NBA will either compete or die. They priced themselves out of my league years ago, so I don't give a shit what they do with salaries.

[Drom John]

The minimum needs to be reduced.
Already it is too much money for the 15th best guy on the 30th best team, while the best D-Leaguer not on contract is better and getting much less money.

Lower the minimum, and use the savings for the stars.

[jack sommerset]

there should be no cap. this is america.