T-MAC to owners: " Don't lowball us "

[lefty]

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basketballtalk (http://twitter.com/#%21/basketballtalk) Kurt Helin



Tracy McGrady’s advice to owners: “Don’t lowball us” http://dlvr.it/KCv7Q #PBT (http://twitter.com/#%21/search?q=%23PBT) #NBA (http://twitter.com/#%21/search?q=%23NBA)

Tracy McGrady’s advice to owners: “Don’t lowball us” (http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/03/14/tracy-mcgrady%e2%80%99s-advice-to-owners-%e2%80%9cdon%e2%80%99t-lowball-us%e2%80%9d/)

Kurt Helin (http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/author/kurthelin/)
Mar 14, 2011, 12:05 PM EDT

Leave a comment (http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/03/14/tracy-mcgrady%e2%80%99s-advice-to-owners-%e2%80%9cdon%e2%80%99t-lowball-us%e2%80%9d/#respond)

http://nbcprobasketballtalk.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/106915681.jpg?w=320 Getty Images As the NFL’s labor situation devolves, the NBA players and owners are sitting back, watching and taking notes.
For example, the NBA’s player union has passed out and gotten players to sign off on potentially decertifying the union. Whether or not they will play that card will depend on how well it goes for the NFL players, according to Ken Berger at CBSSports.com (http://ken-berger.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/11838893/27861866).
Tracy McGrady said that the NBA owners also are not totally unified and in an interview with the Detroit News (http://www.detnews.com/article/20110314/SPORTS0102/103140351/1004/sports/Tracy-McGrady--Onus-on-NBA-owners-in-labor-negotiations) echoes the union line on a key issue — if some teams are profitable and some are not then that is an owner issue about revenue sharing, not a player issue.

“The proposal that (the owners) have out here for us, it’s really bull,” McGrady said. “Some of the owners, (Lakers owner) Jerry Buss, the big-market owners, they don’t want a scale-down….
“They’re (big-market teams) not really losing money. I understand Milwaukee, Minnesota, they’re losing money,” McGrady said. “But that doesn’t have anything to do with us — don’t lowball us.”
McGrady is spot on in one assessment — a lot of what the owners seek in this new Collective Bargaining Agreement is protection from themselves. They want shorter contract lengths and the ability to cheaply buy out the final years of longer deals — which is really only a problem when you hand out bad contracts in the first place. Sure the Knicks would like to have bought out the last couple years of Eddy Curry’s contract, but shouldn’t they pay a penalty for having offered that size contract in the first place? Why should bad management receive a “get out of jail free” card and not have to live up to the contract they offered?
The one thing NBA fans need to realize as they read about the NFL labor issues: The NFL was considered closer to a deal than the NBA. As bad as that situation is, the NBA’s could be much worse.

[mavsfan1000]

lol T-Back

[Pelicans78]

The only thing I agree with the owners on is having a hard cap. Other than that, keep the guaranteed deals, no restrictions on salary amount or length, and definitely no franchise tag.

The biggest problem with this league is 2nd tier players making as much as the elite superstar players. Guys like Kobe, Lebron, etc are underpaid IMO. Its the assholes like Rudy Gay and Joe Johnson who are causing teams to be bankrupt.

Get a hard cap, pay a superstar whatever he is worth, and let the 2nd tier guys get whatever they deserve. This will bring balance to the league.

[sefant77]

stop talking you fucking crappy role player

[Darthkiller]

lol@ someone who is probably out of th league in 2 years having a say on the next cba

[DMX7]

lol, T-Mac is done, he's nuts thinking anybody gives a shit what he thinks.

[Sisk]

The only thing I agree with the owners on is having a hard cap. Other than that, keep the guaranteed deals, no restrictions on salary amount or length, and definitely no franchise tag.

The biggest problem with this league is 2nd tier players making as much as the elite superstar players. Guys like Kobe, Lebron, etc are underpaid IMO. Its the assholes like Rudy Gay and Joe Johnson who are causing teams to be bankrupt.

Get a hard cap, pay a superstar whatever he is worth, and let the 2nd tier guys get whatever they deserve. This will bring balance to the league.

Kobe and lebron are underpaid?????????????????????????????????????

[Fpoonsie]

The only thing I agree with the owners on is having a hard cap. Other than that, keep the guaranteed deals, no restrictions on salary amount or length, and definitely no franchise tag.

The biggest problem with this league is 2nd tier players making as much as the elite superstar players. Guys like Kobe, Lebron, etc are underpaid IMO. Its the assholes like Rudy Gay and Joe Johnson who are causing teams to be bankrupt.

Get a hard cap, pay a superstar whatever he is worth, and let the 2nd tier guys get whatever they deserve. This will bring balance to the league.


Kobe and lebron are underpaid?????????????????????????????????????

I'm going to assume he means "when compared to other 2nd tier players like Gay and J. Johnson, one might look at Kobe and Lebron's respective salaries and consider them underpaid", otherwise, yes, that would be a ridiculous assessment.

The problem is overpaying the lesser players, not underpaying the elites.

[Crytek]

Guys like Kobe and Lebron generate basketballrelated Income ~ $ 50+ Mil.

So yes, they are underpaid under the current CBA.

[Fpoonsie]

Guys like Kobe and Lebron generate basketballrelated Income ~ $ 50+ Mil.

So yes, they are underpaid under the current CBA.

Outside of their salaries, they're also receiving income from shoe deals and other endorsements that I can't help but think makes up for a lot of that "~" gap.

[Pelicans78]

I'm going to assume he means "when compared to other 2nd tier players like Gay and J. Johnson, one might look at Kobe and Lebron's respective salaries and consider them underpaid", otherwise, yes, that would be a ridiculous assessment.

The problem is overpaying the lesser players, not underpaying the elites.

That's what I meant pretty much. Their salaries shouldn't compare and I think most teams would start to be judicious if there was a hard cap and the elite players would not have salaries similar to crap players.

[Sisk]

That's what I meant pretty much. Their salaries shouldn't compare and I think most teams would start to be judicious if there was a hard cap and the elite players would not have salaries similar to crap players.

In that perspective, it makes sense. Wasn't sure exactly what aspect you were looking at it from.

[v2freak]

I'd say all NBA players are overpaid

[The Gemini Method]

Speaking of outside revenue due to endorsements...nothing is as horrible as the Turkish Airlines spots Kobe has been a part of. Those things are hideous to say the least.

lol @ T-Mac actually speaking about low balling. Hasn't he been low balling the fans with his wasted potential?

[Crytek]

Outside of their salaries, they're also receiving income from shoe deals and other endorsements that I can't help but think makes up for a lot of that "~" gap.

I'm not saying they don't have enough overall income. It's quite obscene in relation to an average income, imo.

It's just that the Stars generate a much bigger part of the money the franchise/nba makes (basketball-related income) than everybody else on the roster. In a free market, how much would you be willing to pay (per year) for a Lebron to play for your franchise?