Kobe: I took a discount... [enough] of a discount to help the Lakers be a contender.

[Cry Havoc]

https://twitter.com/billoram/status/535867995680034816

https://twitter.com/billoram/status/535868043264397312



I mean, what is there to say at this time? You just have to point and laugh at Kobe, who is so far removed from reality it's amazing he can tie his shoes let alone play ball at any level.

[Malik Hairston]

Doesn't matter what everybody else thinks, tbh, he makes these comments to sell it to the Lakers/his fanbase..if they buy it, which a lot of them seem to do, then that's all that matters, mission accomplished for Kobe..

[Raven]

Doesn't matter what everybody else thinks, tbh, he makes these comments to sell it to the Lakers/his fanbase..if they buy it, which a lot of them seem to do, then that's all that matters, mission accomplished for Kobe..
it's true that they would believe him anyway, but a smart guy will say smart things regardless of what people would believe.

[Clipper Nation]

Bullshit-to-English translation: "I took a discount... enough of a discount to still make me the highest-paid player in the league while allowing me to spin it as a sacrifice."

[Cry Havoc]

Doesn't matter what everybody else thinks, tbh, he makes these comments to sell it to the Lakers/his fanbase..if they buy it, which a lot of them seem to do, then that's all that matters, mission accomplished for Kobe..

It DOES have damaging implications though. Other players look around the league and see this dude getting paid large even though he saw the construction of Stonehenge in their eyes, and then he talks about the sacrifice he's making, how many dudes do you see singing up for that load of BS in the off-season?

NBA players don't live in the media bubble where everything gets spun until it sounds okay. You KNOW there are dudes in locker rooms all over the NBA who are going to read this and talk to each other about what a shithead Kobe is. In retrospect they might like the fact that he's pushing for higher player salaries but none of that involves them coming to the Lakers to get paid. In the meantime, what guys say in the locker room is going to have a much larger impact on other players than anything the media thinks.

[Silver&Black]

48.5

:cry Kirby is so unselfish :cry

[SpurSwag]

I'm not gonna lie, he has a point to a degree. He's completely right about players almost being bullied into home town discounts, and when players take far less than their market value, the owners ultimately win. Is Kobe worth 24 M a year? No, and to keep his team competitive he probably should have taken less than that. But Tim and Dirk set this ridiculous precedent of taking way less than their actual value, and now when a player doesn't do that, they are labeled as selfish and not wanting to win. Melo, for example, was correct in getting a Max contract because he values himself as a max player. That doesn't mean he doesn't want to win, it just means that he knows his worth and wants to be paid accordingly, for obvious reasons and to make a statement that he is a max player. A lot of what Kobe said in that was BS though, as clearly the Lakers are nowhere near being a contender, but still.

[DPG21920]

:lol "Values himself as a max player". If you value yourself as a max player, it's not about putting up good stats on a losing team. What has Melo ever done to make himself a max player? If you take that money, then you have absolutely zero right to complain about anything. It's fine if a player takes the money and plays hard and loses, just don't whine and deny reality of what your contract means.

[ElNono]

The only question is how many times he can call his fans stupid, tbh...

[Raven]

I'm not gonna lie, he has a point to a degree. He's completely right about players almost being bullied into home town discounts, and when players take far less than their market value, the owners ultimately win. Is Kobe worth 24 M a year? No, and to keep his team competitive he probably should have taken less than that. But Tim and Dirk set this ridiculous precedent of taking way less than their actual value, and now when a player doesn't do that, they are labeled as selfish and not wanting to win. Melo, for example, was correct in getting a Max contract because he values himself as a max player. That doesn't mean he doesn't want to win, it just means that he knows his worth and wants to be paid accordingly, for obvious reasons and to make a statement that he is a max player. A lot of what Kobe said in that was BS though, as clearly the Lakers are nowhere near being a contender, but still.

duncan and dirk are old players, what kirby says makes no sense and young players are getting max contracts more than ever.

[Raven]

a player that takes the max and can't get to the playoffs simply means that he is not a max type of player, it's really as simple as that.

[Chris]

Bullshit-to-English translation: "I took a discount... enough of a discount to still make me the highest-paid player in the league while allowing me to spin it as a sacrifice."

http://www.nsmbl.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Dancing-Car.gif

[Medvedenko]

Bottom line you idiots fail to understand is that the finances are controlled by the owners and or board of directors. Profit and loss statements are determined in the budget process which includes overhead, salaries for non-union staff etc and ultimately CBA player salaries. Agents and players get involved to offer the "value" of said player in each market and return on investment they'll get both on the court and off. Should he have taken less? Sure why not, how about you go and ask your employer to pay you less so they can get a better receptionist or to bolster up the call centres with more staff to increase customer service and ultimately offer a better experience. Boiled down the $ that Kobe or anyone else is making has so many variables that the lament (95% of spurstalk posters) fail to understand the economics of the sport. This is all on the owners and their managerial courage to say NO to players like Kobe when in the negotiation process. Regardless, the owners know their P&L way better than the union and said players as to what investment they'll get in return. It's all math really. Wins don't always translate to what the players are getting paid or how altruistic they are in the process. This has nothing to do with Kobe and everything to do with management and the overall leadership. As a Laker fan this is what troubles me the most, not Kobe's shitty FG%. If Kobe would have took 10 m less, do you think he'd be a better on court player? Hard to say, maybe with better teammates he would have been. However, from an economic stand point would this even dent the margin % of the Lakers? Debatable.

[Clipper Nation]

:lol Kirby stans still trying to spin this contract into an NBA labor issue.

The reality is, it's a salary cap league, and your glorified role player messiah is eating up too much of the cap space to build a playoff team around him. Period. If you're looking for someone to blame, blame Kirby for making it clear over a year in advance that he was not going to take a significant paycut.

[Chris]

Bottom line you idiots fail to understand is that the finances are controlled by the owners and or board of directors. Profit and loss statements are determined in the budget process which includes overhead, salaries for non-union staff etc and ultimately CBA player salaries. Agents and players get involved to offer the "value" of said player in each market and return on investment they'll get both on the court and off. Should he have taken less? Sure why not, how about you go and ask your employer to pay you less so they can get a better receptionist or to bolster up the call centres with more staff to increase customer service and ultimately offer a better experience. Boiled down the $ that Kobe or anyone else is making has so many variables that the lament (95% of spurstalk posters) fail to understand the economics of the sport. This is all on the owners and their managerial courage to say NO to players like Kobe when in the negotiation process. Regardless, the owners know their P&L way better than the union and said players as to what investment they'll get in return. It's all math really. Wins don't always translate to what the players are getting paid or how altruistic they are in the process. This has nothing to do with Kobe and everything to do with management and the overall leadership. As a Laker fan this is what troubles me the most, not Kobe's shitty FG%. If Kobe would have took 10 m less, do you think he'd be a better on court player? Hard to say, maybe with better teammates he would have been. However, from an economic stand point would this even dent the margin % of the Lakers? Debatable.

Pretty sure everyone here knows the owners make the money. That's a bunch of crap tbh All that shit about different markets and better teammates is what Kobe told you to believe.

[whitemamba]

Bottom line you idiots fail to understand is that the finances are controlled by the owners and or board of directors. Profit and loss statements are determined in the budget process which includes overhead, salaries for non-union staff etc and ultimately CBA player salaries. Agents and players get involved to offer the "value" of said player in each market and return on investment they'll get both on the court and off. Should he have taken less? Sure why not, how about you go and ask your employer to pay you less so they can get a better receptionist or to bolster up the call centres with more staff to increase customer service and ultimately offer a better experience. Boiled down the $ that Kobe or anyone else is making has so many variables that the lament (95% of spurstalk posters) fail to understand the economics of the sport. This is all on the owners and their managerial courage to say NO to players like Kobe when in the negotiation process. Regardless, the owners know their P&L way better than the union and said players as to what investment they'll get in return. It's all math really. Wins don't always translate to what the players are getting paid or how altruistic they are in the process. This has nothing to do with Kobe and everything to do with management and the overall leadership. As a Laker fan this is what troubles me the most, not Kobe's shitty FG%. If Kobe would have took 10 m less, do you think he'd be a better on court player? Hard to say, maybe with better teammates he would have been. However, from an economic stand point would this even dent the margin % of the Lakers? Debatable.

The spur fan base here has turned into a bunch of Kool aid man/thread-esque type of posters. They don't care to look into numbers and logistics because they hate the lakers/kobe so much which is understandable.

[Thread]

It was a 20% cut based on 25-6-6. He's now putting up 25-5-5.

Let us proceed...

[Medvedenko]

Thread

[Clipper Nation]

It was a 20% cut based on 25-6-6. He's now putting up 25-5-5.

Let us proceed...
Again, he cut just enough to lodge the "sacrifice" card, but not enough to no longer be the highest-paid player in the league. It's chickenshit & piss-pot.

[Medvedenko]

Again, he cut just enough to lodge the "sacrifice" card, but not enough to no longer be the highest-paid player in the league. It's chickenshit & piss-pot.

Who's the signature on Kobe's paycheck youngblood?

[DPG21920]

Look, everyone has known this for the past 15+ years: There are Laker fans and there are Kobe fans. There are no in the middle. It's laughable to watch this guy lie to Kobe fan' faces and even with smart people calling it out for you, you still can't stop believing.

[Cry Havoc]

:lmao Laker fans are beyond delusional. It's Stockholm Syndrome at this point. :lmao

[Medvedenko]

:lmao Laker fans are beyond delusional. It's Stockholm Syndrome at this point. :lmao

What are we delusional about? The fact that we support our team? All of those years of the Spurs sucking dick, why were there fans? What would be the point? Do you even know what SS is and how the metaphor is applied?

[Mel_13]

1. Kobe had every right to get every last penny from the Lakers. (He's probably worth more than 24M to their bottom line.)

2. He also has every right to say that his job is to play basketball and that the FO's job is to build a competitive roster.

3. He just can't say that winning is the most important thing to him. Clearly his personal finances are more important to him than winning.

[Medvedenko]

1. Kobe had every right to get every last penny from the Lakers. (He's probably worth more than 24M to their bottom line.)

2. He also has every right to say that his job is to play basketball and that the FO's job is to build a competitive roster.

3. He just can't say that winning is the most important thing to him. Clearly his personal finances are more important to him than winning.

Then every player should play for 100k. What's your point?

[RsxPiimp]

1. Kobe had every right to get every last penny from the Lakers. (He's probably worth more than 24M to their bottom line.)

2. He also has every right to say that his job is to play basketball and that the FO's job is to build a competitive roster.

3. He just can't say that winning is the most important thing to him. Clearly his personal finances are more important to him than winning.

We should end the debate here.

[ambchang]

:lol laker fan acting like they are the only one who knows owners write checks.

They had a bargaining session, the players unions got killed in it.

You can live within the framework, take less money and field a better team.
Or you can make the max and undermine your chances at winning.

It's not rocket science. It's pretty simple.

What is the problem is that Kobe chose to undermine the winning element by fattening up his back account, again nothin wrong with it, but had the falls to lie about him caring about nothing but winning.

You can't have it both ways.

[spurraider21]

It was a 20% cut based on 25-6-6. He's now putting up 25-5-5.

Let us proceed...
what's he gna average next season when he's still making 24.5?

23-4-4?

[Mel_13]

Then every player should play for 100k. What's your point?

That certainly wasn't my point. My point was really quite obvious.

[Medvedenko]

:lol laker fan acting like they are the only one who knows owners write checks.

They had a bargaining session, the players unions got killed in it.

You can live within the framework, take less money and field a better team.
Or you can make the max and undermine your chances at winning.

It's not rocket science. It's pretty simple.

What is the problem is that Kobe chose to undermine the winning element by fattening up his back account, again nothin wrong with it, but had the falls to lie about him caring about nothing but winning.

You can't have it both ways.

Kobe didn't chose shit....the organization chose to give him this salary. What part of that equation don't you understand. The argument could be that the Lakers don't want to win and just sell tickets. That's what it is. They couldn't lose their meal ticket, did they do the right thing? Nope, however this has nothing to do with Kobe.

[Clipper Nation]

Who's the signature on Kobe's paycheck youngblood?

Who made it explicitly clear months before negotiations began that they were not going to take a significant paycut?

[Clipper Nation]

Kobe didn't chose shit....the organization chose to give him this salary.
No, their hands were tied.

One one hand, Kirby wasn't going to take a major pay cut:


"I'm not taking any at all – that's the negotiation that you have to have," Kobe Bryant told Lakers Nation in an exclusive interview at his Kobe Basketball Academy on Wednesday. "For me to sit here and say, 'Oh yeah, I'm just going to take a huge pay cut. Nah, I'm going to try to get as much as I possibly can."

- July 2013

http://www.lakersnation.com/lakers-news-kobe-bryant-not-planning-to-take-a-pay-cut-in-2014/2013/07/10/

On the other hand, the illegal immigrant bandwagoners weren't going to accept getting rid of Kirby, even if it resulted in a better team. Plus the TWC contract is contingent on ratings and faggots like you would just stop watching if they shipped Kirbs' ass out.

Basically, they had no choice but to let Kirby steal 48.5 from them. Your pitiful damage control doesn't change the reality of the situation.

[KaiRMD1]

Kobe reaching to stay relevant

[Medvedenko]

No, their hands were tied.

One one hand, Kirby wasn't going to take a major pay cut:



On the other hand, the illegal immigrant bandwagoners weren't going to accept getting rid of Kirby, even if it resulted in a better team. Plus the TWC contract is contingent on ratings and faggots like you would just stop watching if they shipped Kirbs' ass out.

Basically, they had no choice but to let Kirby steal 48.5 from them. Your pitiful damage control doesn't change the reality of the situation.

What's with the juvenile nature of your post. You must be under 25. Anyways, like I've said ad nauseam it's the OWNERS who paid Kobe, doesn't matter if he didn't want a pay cut or not, it's the return on investment that management was looking at.

[Clipper Nation]

What's with the juvenile nature of your post. You must be under 25. Anyways, like I've said ad nauseam it's the OWNERS who paid Kobe, doesn't matter if he didn't want a pay cut or not, it's the return on investment that management was looking at.

How is my post juvenile? Because you disagree with it?

You're obsessing over who's physically paying the money when that's not really relevant. The issue at hand here is that Kirby had the owners bent over the negotiation table, made damn sure that he would still be the highest-paid player in the league (at the cost of having a good enough supporting cast to at least make the playoffs), and now wants to spin it as a "sacrifice" and blame management for failing to build a contender around the overpaid contract he demanded. Kirby is once again spinning shit to try to dictate his legacy and you're buying it hook, line and sinker.

[unforeseen]

No, their hands were tied.

One one hand, Kirby wasn't going to take a major pay cut:



On the other hand, the illegal immigrant bandwagoners weren't going to accept getting rid of Kirby, even if it resulted in a better team. Plus the TWC contract is contingent on ratings and faggots like you would just stop watching if they shipped Kirbs' ass out.

Basically, they had no choice but to let Kirby steal 48.5 from them. Your pitiful damage control doesn't change the reality of the situation.

Obama just changed that. They are legal now.

[Thread]

what's he gna average next season when he's still making 24.5?

23-4-4?

I have no idea, but Daddy retired when that 3 inches of tendon rolled up like a cheap shade. Kobe? He's huntin' MJ like McVeigh hunted the ATF.

[Thread]

It's chickenshit & piss-pot.

I'm a trend setter.

I set trends.

[ambchang]

Kobe didn't chose shit....the organization chose to give him this salary. What part of that equation don't you understand. The argument could be that the Lakers don't want to win and just sell tickets. That's what it is. They couldn't lose their meal ticket, did they do the right thing? Nope, however this has nothing to do with Kobe.

Kobe didn't choose to send out those tweets? Did him send it out for him?

You didn't choose to slobber over Kobe like a golden retriever on butters corn? Did Jim make you do it?

[Chris]

Medvedenko with the terrible bads. Thread can't even save him

[Cry Havoc]

What are we delusional about? The fact that we support our team? All of those years of the Spurs sucking dick, why were there fans? What would be the point? Do you even know what SS is and how the metaphor is applied?

Weird. I didn't know that throwing almost every single player AND coach under the buss who's played for you for the past 15 years counts as rooting for your team.

Let's see, here:

Shaq.
Pau.
Brown.
MDA.
Odom.
Gasol.
Dwight.
and now, the Front Office that brought together two teams with 8 starting hall of famers between them, apparently is terrible.

The only player to escape blame was perhaps Fisher, who bailed and went ring chasing, but I even heard plenty of "washed up has been" from Laker fans before he departed.

Golly, that's a lot of excuses. Wonder if there's a common thread connecting them all? :lol

[FuzzyLumpkins]

1. Kobe had every right to get every last penny from the Lakers. (He's probably worth more than 24M to their bottom line.)

2. He also has every right to say that his job is to play basketball and that the FO's job is to build a competitive roster.

3. He just can't say that winning is the most important thing to him. Clearly his personal finances are more important to him than winning.

Meh. The Lakers have enough income that they could live over the tax threshold into perpetuity. There is no hard cap and acting like the tax threshold is one for that franchise is disingenuous.

[Mel_13]

Meh. The Lakers have enough income that they could live over the tax threshold into perpetuity. There is no hard cap and acting like the tax threshold is one for that franchise is disingenuous.

Meh. You missed the point. You can only sign free agents with cap space. Willingness to pay the tax doesn't help a team in the free agent market.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Meh. You missed the point. You can only sign free agents with cap space. Willingness to pay the tax doesn't help a team in the free agent market.

Similar to how not signing Kawhi until the offseason keeps cap room open for the club due to the hold mechanics there are ways of managing around that. Frankly that just sounds like an excuse considering the massive financial advantage the Lakers are unable to take advantage of at all.

I am not saying that in particular LA had that avenue with Bryant but the Lakers have done a very poor job in retaining talent the last decade.

[Thread]

Meh. The Lakers have enough income that they could live over the tax threshold into perpetuity. There is no hard cap and acting like the tax threshold is one for that franchise is disingenuous.

But, it's a disastrous business model. Even the 1-1 tax is against all business tenets, but, "we" put lipstick on it and made it "appealing." A 3,5,7,9 to 1 penalty would be gross, insincere & untenable. The implications of insisting would be catastrophic mentally & economically. What the Cubes did there was brilliant. Akin to what OBL did on 9/11, just with less loss of life. Cuban hit a direct bulls eye, and he put a death kneel by insisting on the extreme length of the agreement. He knew. It was no accident. It was a sustained stalking of our franchise by this man. An absolute assassination attempt & execution of the Lakers business model.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

But, it's a disastrous business model. Even the 1-1 tax is against all business tenets, but, "we" put lipstick on it and made it "appealing." A 3,5,7,9 to 1 penalty would be gross, insincere & untenable. The implications of insisting would be catastrophic mentally & economically. What the Cubes did there was brilliant. Akin to what OBL did on 9/11, just with less loss of life. Cuban hit a direct bulls eye, and he put a death kneel by insisting on the extreme length of the agreement. He knew. It was no accident. It was a sustained stalking of our franchise by this man. An absolute assassination attempt & execution of the Lakers business model.

It tends up being a finite amount of dollars and the Lakers have more money than anyone. You just gave an example of someone who knew how to take advantage. Blaming Bryant's salary is fun but to ignore the mismanagement of the Buss family is what is untenable.

[Mel_13]

Similar to how not signing Kawhi until the offseason keeps cap room open for the club due to the hold mechanics there are ways of managing around that. Frankly that just sounds like an excuse considering the massive financial advantage the Lakers are unable to take advantage of at all.

I am not saying that in particular LA had that avenue with Bryant but the Lakers have done a very poor job in retaining talent the last decade.

This thread is about the impact of Kobe's extension. That extension greatly reduced the amount of cap space available to the Lakers in the summer of 2014, and will again in the summer of 2015. The wealth of the team doesn't change those simple facts.

[Mel_13]

It tends up being a finite amount of dollars and the Lakers have more money than anyone. You just gave an example of someone who knew how to take advantage. Blaming Bryant's salary is fun but to ignore the mismanagement of the Buss family is what is untenable.

Cuban is among the wealthiest owners in the NBA and he was only able to make a major free agent signing this past summer when his superstar agreed to take much less than his market value.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

This thread is about the impact of Kobe's extension. That extension greatly reduced the amount of cap space available to the Lakers in the summer of 2014, and will again in the summer of 2015. The wealth of the team doesn't change those simple facts.

No this thread is about Kobe's comments. Any contract signed reduces cap space. We are talking about the team that let go Gasol and Howard, signed Mike D'antoni to coach after giving up on Brown before he even started, and traded several drafts to pay a guy $9m and takes a week to respond to the coach while he goes golfing.

wgaf if Bryant and Howard don't get along. None of that has to do with Bryant's cap space.

[anakha]

From another perspective, one can say Kobe took a discount in the sense that he knew he was going to get signed no matter how much money he demanded, because of the revenue he brings to the franchise.

Just because his contract is horrific from a cap standpoint doesn't mean he didn't leave money on the table.

In other words, it could have been worse (for Laker fans).

[Mel_13]

No this thread is about Kobe's comments. Any contract signed reduces cap space. We are talking about the team that let go Gasol and Howard, signed Mike D'antoni to coach after giving up on Brown before he even started, and traded several drafts to pay a guy $9m and takes a week to respond to the coach while he goes golfing.

wgaf if Bryant and Howard don't get along. None of that has to do with Bryant's cap space.

:lol

You're the one trying to make this about all those other things. I'm not going down that rabbit hole with you.

My original point stands as posted. Kobe can take all the money he wants, he just can't say he's all about winning when he does.

[Malik Hairston]

:lmao Fuzzy getting his shit pushed in, seems to be a daily occurrence here..

[pgardn]

It was a 20% cut based on 25-6-6. He's now putting up 25-5-5.

Let us proceed...

Proceed.

With one of the most gawd awful teams in the NBA.

Proceed.

With watching a chucker continue to chuck and love every minute of it.
How much wood would a...

You guys suck.
We will keep shooting stats right along with you, it's a joyous experience.
Thread.

[100%duncan]

That certainly wasn't my point. My point was really quite obvious.

Your 2 points were great, the third ons was too harsh for Al-Qoube

[Biernutz]

Kobe made $30 million last year. He could have taken the same this year but he gave the
Lakers a "discount" down to $24 million. Kobe said his playing on the team makes his value to
get that kind of money. TV Fans tune into watch the Lakers because of him and cable TV can afford
to pay him for it.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

:lol

You're the one trying to make this about all those other things. I'm not going down that rabbit hole with you.

My original point stands as posted. Kobe can take all the money he wants, he just can't say he's all about winning when he does.

The OP is what it is. I can say the same thing about your rabbit hole. Fact is that people like a dumbed down scapegoat. While I don't disagree that Bryant's contract is an issue, dumbing it down to only that does not help to understand the situation.

[Mel_13]

The OP is what it is. I can say the same thing about your rabbit hole. Fact is that people like a dumbed down scapegoat. While I don't disagree that Bryant's contract is an issue, dumbing it down to only that does not help to understand the situation.

I didn't say that it was only that.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

:lmao Fuzzy getting his shit pushed in, seems to be a daily occurrence here..

About the only daily occurrence is you spouting the bandwagon fallacy as if it is meaningful. I get that you are butthurt about me and your response to it is cliche. The rest of my fan club does the exact same thing thus their induction.

What you don't seem to get is that my writing style is designed to encourage your sentiment if not that type of response. Intelligent people actually try to argue on merit versus your childish assertions. It's good at pointing to those who cannot articulate intelligent arguments though nevertheless.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

I didn't say that it was only that.

Your handwaving at it and refusal to 'go down that rabbit hole' of any other thing certainly implies it.

[Mel_13]

Your handwaving at it and refusal to 'go down that rabbit hole' of any other thing certainly implies it.

No.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

No.

:lol yes

[Mel_13]

:lol yes

Whatever helps you sleep at night.

[z0sa]

LOL

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Whatever helps you sleep at night.

Well, I am making the assumption that you are being intellectually honest. So your refusal to 'go down that rabbit hole' is of a more personal nature versus you disagreeing with it even if you don't want to argue.

:lol People that refuse to admit even an obvious point of fact to me are hilarious.

[Mel_13]

Well, I am making the assumption that you are being intellectually honest. So your refusal to 'go down that rabbit hole' is of a more personal nature versus you disagreeing with it even if you don't want to argue.

:lol People that refuse to admit even an obvious point of fact to me are hilarious.

Sleep well.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Sleep well.

:lol you too

[100%duncan]

Bottom line: fuck kobe.


Can we all agree to tha

[Mugen]

:lol Mel's comments are really the only ones you need to read to understand the situation.

I said it last year when Kirby signed the extension. I had ZERO problem with him taking the money because he's right regarding the situation w/ the owners. I'll always be on the player's side 100% when it comes to labor agreements. Sadly, they don't have much of a chance going against billionaires that made their bones not giving a fuck about other people tbh.

What I have issue with is when Kobe-stan puts him up there with the likes of Tim/Dirk in regards to being all about winning. Kobe eats first, he always has. It's just hilarious to see him call his fans stupid over and over again and they just continue to eat it up :lol

[Thread]

It tends up being a finite amount of dollars and the Lakers have more money than anyone. You just gave an example of someone who knew how to take advantage. Blaming Bryant's salary is fun but to ignore the mismanagement of the Buss family is what is untenable.

Forget it.

[UZER]

Weird. I didn't know that throwing almost every single player AND coach under the buss who's played for you for the past 15 years counts as rooting for your team.

Let's see, here:

Shaq.
Pau.
Brown.
MDA.
Odom.
Gasol.
Dwight.
and now, the Front Office that brought together two teams with 8 starting hall of famers between them, apparently is terrible.

The only player to escape blame was perhaps Fisher, who bailed and went ring chasing, but I even heard plenty of "washed up has been" from Laker fans before he departed.

Golly, that's a lot of excuses. Wonder if there's a common thread connecting them all? :lol

You forgot his cell phone tirade about Bynum.

[baseline bum]

I'm not gonna lie, he has a point to a degree. He's completely right about players almost being bullied into home town discounts, and when players take far less than their market value, the owners ultimately win. Is Kobe worth 24 M a year? No, and to keep his team competitive he probably should have taken less than that. But Tim and Dirk set this ridiculous precedent of taking way less than their actual value, and now when a player doesn't do that, they are labeled as selfish and not wanting to win. Melo, for example, was correct in getting a Max contract because he values himself as a max player. That doesn't mean he doesn't want to win, it just means that he knows his worth and wants to be paid accordingly, for obvious reasons and to make a statement that he is a max player. A lot of what Kobe said in that was BS though, as clearly the Lakers are nowhere near being a contender, but still.

Not at all the same situation, since Kobe has been a shitty player post Achilles. Pre-tear he was worth every cent of that $30 million he was making, but now he's the definition of empty stats.

[Thread]

Proceed.

With one of the most gawd awful teams in the NBA.

Proceed.

With watching a chucker continue to chuck and love every minute of it.
How much wood would a...

You guys suck.
We will keep shooting stats right along with you, it's a joyous experience.
Thread.

I look forward to the challenge with equal amounts of both anticipation & determination.

Let us proceed...

[Thread]

Pre-tear he was worth every cent of that $30 million he was making

I'll just bet he was.

[baseline bum]

I'll just bet he was.

A top 5 player is always worth $30 million in the NBA.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

A top 5 player is always worth $30 million in the NBA.

That is what people don't seem to understand regarding the max and the nature of price ceilings.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Forget it.

Okay.

Would you like to talk about the Nash trade or losing Gasol and Howard instead?

[m>s]

Fuzzy nappy headed noggins is by far the most annoying st poster

[FuzzyLumpkins]

:lol Mel's comments are really the only ones you need to read to understand the situation.

I said it last year when Kirby signed the extension. I had ZERO problem with him taking the money because he's right regarding the situation w/ the owners. I'll always be on the player's side 100% when it comes to labor agreements. Sadly, they don't have much of a chance going against billionaires that made their bones not giving a fuck about other people tbh.

What I have issue with is when Kobe-stan puts him up there with the likes of Tim/Dirk in regards to being all about winning. Kobe eats first, he always has. It's just hilarious to see him call his fans stupid over and over again and they just continue to eat it up :lol

From a raw income standpoint where X is the value of what Duncan brings to the Spurs in terms of revenue, how would you compare that to what Dirk and Bryant bring?

Last time I checked, getting paid $30/hr and having that reduced to $24/hr is a sacrifice. You can quibble with evaluating worth by win shares versus gross revenue but at the end of the day it's not like he is just making shit up.

[ElNono]

From a raw income standpoint where X is the value of what Duncan brings to the Spurs in terms of revenue, how would you compare that to what Dirk and Bryant bring?

Last time I checked, getting paid $30/hr and having that reduced to $24/hr is a sacrifice. You can quibble with evaluating worth by win shares versus gross revenue but at the end of the day it's not like he is just making shit up.

That's a different discussion for a different thread. The cap and salary constrains are what they are, and all teams are operating under the same rules.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

That's a different discussion for a different thread. The cap and salary constrains are what they are, and all teams are operating under the same rules.

First part could be but I don't think the second part is.

[Thebesteva]

No one on LG commenting on this? :lol

[ElNono]

First part could be but I don't think the second part is.

what do you mean? The cap and salary rules apply the same for all teams.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

what do you mean? The cap and salary rules apply the same for all teams.

I mean that his extension paid him less than he had been paid before. How much salary does one have give up to be deemed to have made a sacrifice? $6m is $6m regardless of the cap.

[ElNono]

I mean that his extension paid him less than he had been paid before. How much salary does one have give up to be deemed to have made a sacrifice? $6m is $6m regardless of the cap.

sure, but there is a cap, and all salaries have to come from it. $6m is $6m, but it's X% of the cap. Managing those %s are key between fielding a winning team or a losing team.

What he got paid before is irrelevant. That previous contract was written under a different CBA (different rules).

[FuzzyLumpkins]

sure, but there is a cap, and all salaries have to come from it. $6m is $6m, but it's X% of the cap. Managing those %s are key between fielding a winning team or a losing team.

What he got paid before is irrelevant. That previous contract was written under a different CBA (different rules).

I won't argue that at all. But people are acting like Bryant didn't give anything up. I get that people would prefer Bryant make the minimum and how wonderful that would be for signing FA but that is besides the point.

I am also saying that the Nash trade and aftermath, coaching decisions, letting Howard, Ariza, Gasol, et al go have more to do with the state that they are in than Bryant's contract.

[ElNono]

I won't argue that at all. But people are acting like Bryant didn't give anything up. I get that people would prefer Bryant make the minimum and how wonderful that would be for signing FA but that is besides the point.

I am also saying that the Nash trade and aftermath, letting Howard, Ariza, Gasol, et al go have more to do with the state that they are in than Bryant's contract.

AFAIK, he took the maximum amount of money he could take under this CBA. That's effectively not a discount.

Why the Lakers look like shit is certainly debatable, and encompasses this contract and other factors, but it's a different topic.

[pgardn]

I look forward to the challenge with equal amounts of both anticipation & determination.

Let us proceed...

Proceeding.

[pgardn]

Oh.

A chucker watch thread.

Proceeding.

0-7

But only down by 8, in the first quarter...

Mr. Thread, will this become a monotonous exercise in futility?
Or shall we revel in the disgusting display?

[diego]

I won't argue that at all. But people are acting like Bryant didn't give anything up. I get that people would prefer Bryant make the minimum and how wonderful that would be for signing FA but that is besides the point.

I am also saying that the Nash trade and aftermath, coaching decisions, letting Howard, Ariza, Gasol, et al go have more to do with the state that they are in than Bryant's contract.

up until now that contract hasnt been an issue, precisely because gasol, howard, and all the big name big income players left- they certainly didnt leave because of bryant's contract, though you could easily argue that his playing style and personality had something to do with it, and who knows maybe kobe's ego would have come down a notch if he wasnt the highest paid player in the league. Either way there is no feasible way to build a contender with that high a salary invested in just one player unless you trade your way into it or get discounts (which is precisely how gasol, howard, nash, artest, malone payton etc got there) OR you collect rookie contracts to get cheap labor which is what the lakers are forced to do now. Kobe has his share of responsibility for kupchak's swing and miss, but he deflects and insists that winning is the most important thing to him, while keeping his best paid player in the league status. He's every right to take the money, just spare me the contender talk. If he wanted the lakers to contend and get that 6th ring, he should have done something very different (Im surprised the lakers werent able to arrange something under the table with all the business media opportunities in LA, "marketing" business is a euphemism for money laundering). It would matter next year, if kobe wasnt done and the lakers had good rooks. Maybe Kobe's contract will get off the hook after all.

[scanry]

It was a 20% cut based on 25-6-6. He's now putting up 25-5-5.

Let us proceed...

Dale, with the constant parroting, the 25-5-5 stickh will eventually catch on. Just give it time and you're golden. :lol

[Clipper Nation]

(Im surprised the lakers werent able to arrange something under the table with all the business media opportunities in LA, "marketing" business is a euphemism for money laundering)
It's not allowed under the CBA. The Knicks tried to lure Dad Killer away from Chicago with similar under-the-table schemes and the league had to step in and put a stop to it.

[scanry]

It's not allowed under the CBA. The Knicks tried to lure Dad Killer away from Chicago with similar under-the-table schemes and the league had to step in and put a stop to it.

DK actually came close to signing with the Knicks in the summer of 1996. Chicago had no choice but to cough up $35 mil that season.

[Cry Havoc]

Last time I checked, getting paid $30/hr and having that reduced to $24/hr is a sacrifice. You can quibble with evaluating worth by win shares versus gross revenue but at the end of the day it's not like he is just making shit up.

This would be accurate if most jobs were predicated on a specific ability that went into rapid decline before retirement. For the VAST majority of jobs, this is not the case, or if it is, it's to a MUCH lesser degree than the rate at which one loses their athletic prowess.

A 35 year old pitcher who is unable to throw more than 6 innings per outing isn't "making a sacrifice" when he takes a pay cut. Neither is Kobe in this instance, especially given that the NBA has a salary cap.

[diego]

It's not allowed under the CBA. The Knicks tried to lure Dad Killer away from Chicago with similar under-the-table schemes and the league had to step in and put a stop to it.

kobe could have very easily done the "im sacrificing to win" schtick while TWC hired him to do promotional events at exorbitant rates.

[Thebesteva]

Kobe and Dwight meet back stage (video)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_d1yso9TNM

[UZER]

Weird. I didn't know that throwing almost every single player AND coach under the buss who's played for you for the past 15 years counts as rooting for your team.

Let's see, here:

Shaq.
Pau.
Brown.
MDA.
Odom.
Gasol.
Dwight.
and now, the Front Office that brought together two teams with 8 starting hall of famers between them, apparently is terrible.

The only player to escape blame was perhaps Fisher, who bailed and went ring chasing, but I even heard plenty of "washed up has been" from Laker fans before he departed.

Golly, that's a lot of excuses. Wonder if there's a common thread connecting them all? :lol

You forgot his cell phone tirade about Bynum.

[pgardn]

Oh.

A chucker watch thread.

Proceeding.

0-7

But only down by 8, in the first quarter...

Mr. Thread, will this become a monotonous exercise in futility?
Or shall we revel in the disgusting display?

I don't wish to belabor the ugliness.
Other threads are taking care of Lakerfan sadiomasichism.

Proceed.
To other threads, Thread.

[SupremeGuy]

You simply cannot be a kirby fan AND a lakers fan these days. He's literally killing the team and if you're still rooting for him, then you're just an idiot.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

This would be accurate if most jobs were predicated on a specific ability that went into rapid decline before retirement. For the VAST majority of jobs, this is not the case, or if it is, it's to a MUCH lesser degree than the rate at which one loses their athletic prowess.

A 35 year old pitcher who is unable to throw more than 6 innings per outing isn't "making a sacrifice" when he takes a pay cut. Neither is Kobe in this instance, especially given that the NBA has a salary cap.

From that point of view, he is what at 20 PER? $15m AAV player?

Bryant because of how much he is directly responsible to grossing is not out of his mind to think that a reduction in wage is a sacrifice. They just signed that $3b TV contract. I think blaming the Laker's current circumstance on Bryant because he wasn't willing to cut his salary in half is disingenuous and for the vast majority of people hypocritical. Free market!

When Jerry died and Jackson left the place imploded. The place is run by the most incompetent leadership in the NBA. In two offseasons two all star big men left the team. Junior kept daddy's GM and let his players fire his first coach a dozen games into the season before being forced to bring in a guy whose offensive gimmick hadn't been successful in a decade. He is canned at season's end.

During the offseason, they are turned down left and right and are forced to settle for Byron Scott. Nash won't return Scott's phone calls and declares he might get with the team at some point.

But yeah that is all because of Kobe's salary. . . .

Laker's are dysfunctional at every level of the organization. Ownership, executive, coaching, and roster.

[Franklin]

yes he did, he should've demanded another 5yr max deal with the first year salary being 37.5m (125% of the last year's salary on his previous contract, the maximum amount allowed) and an annual increase of 10%. Just to see the Lakers suck for as long as possible tbh.

[SupremeGuy]

I can't wait to see the lolakers give him another franchise killing contract in 2 years, tbh. Please kirby don't retire. :cry

[Thread]

I can't wait to see the lolakers give him another franchise killing contract in 2 years, tbh. Please kirby don't retire. :cry

You couldn't drag him away.

[Thread]

Dale, with the constant parroting, the 25-5-5 stickh will eventually catch on. Just give it time and you're golden. :lol

You humps do the same damn thing. You've nary room.

[scanry]

You humps do the same damn thing. You've nary room.

The Finals MVPs & Reg season MVPs are in Duncan's favor tbh. We don't need a damn thing for the Duncan>Kobe to stick. 6 actually extended our title window tbh. I think Duncan would've retired by now. Same with Pop.

[Thread]

The Finals MVPs & Reg season MVPs are in Duncan's favor tbh. We don't need a damn thing for the Duncan>Kobe to stick. 6 actually extended our title window tbh. I think Duncan would've retired by now. Same with Pop.

In other words 6 was a "good thing." You weak fuck, you.

[dirk4mvp]

In other words 6 was a "good thing." You weak fuck, you.

I saw that fuck up on the bold dale. Don't let it happen again.

[Thread]

I saw that fuck up on the bold dale. Don't let it happen again.

Only pussies & assholes lodge the grammar indictment.

[dirk4mvp]

Only pussies & assholes lodge the grammar indictment.

You seem a little cranky after 140

[Thread]

You seem a little cranky after 140

Nonetheless, only pussies & assholes lodge the grammar indictment.

[dirk4mvp]

Nonetheless, only pussies & assholes lodge the grammar indictment.

Had nothing to do with grammar tbh


140

[Thread]

Had nothing to do with grammar tbh


140

That's exactly what it is. Only pussies & assholes lodge the grammar indictment.

[dirk4mvp]

That's exactly what it is. Only pussies & assholes lodge the grammar indictment.

Looks like I've avoided being both tbh


140

[Thread]

Looks like I've avoided being both tbh


140

No. Only pussies & assholes play the grammar indictment.

[dirk4mvp]

No. Only pussies & assholes play the grammar indictment.

Your pants are down, just as Katie's are before I go balls deep


140

[scanry]

It's criminal on the part of Carlisle to lodge 140 on Kobe's a$$. Pop, the soft a$$ that he is would've tanked in the 4th to make it respectable. Carlisle, nah ah, not on my watch.

[Thread]

It's criminal on the part of Carlisle to lodge 140 on Kobe's a$$. Pop, the soft a$$ that he is would've tanked in the 4th to make it respectable. Carlisle, nah ah, not on my watch.

That he got that group of niqqers to go along with it is what surprised me. Pop has his on automatic, but, I didn't know Carlisle was so empowered.

[Thread]

Your pants are down, just as Katie's are before I go balls deep


140

Yeah, yeah, yeah...nonetheless only pussies & assholes play the grammar indictment.

[dirk4mvp]

Yeah, yeah, yeah...nonetheless only pussies & assholes play the grammar indictment.

140

[Thread]

140

Right. But, only pussies & assholes play the grammar indictment.

[dirk4mvp]

Right. But, only pussies & assholes play the grammar indictment.

Stop blaming your fuck ups on other people, Dale


140

[Thread]

Stop blaming your fuck ups on other people, Dale


140

Yeah, yeah, yeah, nonetheless, only pussies & assholes lodge the grammar indictment.

[dirk4mvp]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, nonetheless, only pussies & assholes lodge the grammar indictment.

It's yours and yours alone.



140

[Warlord23]

The funny thing is Kobe trying to make this a players vs owners thing, and how he's standing up for players by being an overpaid cancer. In reality, the players are guaranteed to make 50% (+/- 1%) of the total basketball related income. By taking a higher salary, Kobe is actually hurting other players than the owners. The owners are going to collectively pay the players exactly the same amount, whether Kobe makes 1M or 30M. The CBA took care of that. If Kobe gave a discount, 100% of that money would go to other players, while also giving the Lakers more flexibility to improve their roster.

Only the Lakers fan base is dumb enough to swallow Kobe's moronic narrative. He doesn't even have to make up a halfway convincing fairytale at this point; they are cheering him on as he drags their franchise through the gutter.

[Thread]

It's yours and yours alone.



140

Nonetheless, only pussies & assholes lodge the grammar indictment.

[midnightpulp]

Nonetheless, only pussies & assholes lodge the grammar indictment.

That's 140 talking, Cub.

[Thread]

That's 140 talking, Cub.

Nonetheless, only pussies & assholes lodge the grammar indictment.

[RsxPiimp]

If Kobe gave a discount, 100% of that money would go to other players, while also giving the Lakers more flexibility to improve their roster.

.

Honestly though, I wouldn't trust the Jim Buss era management to do this. After watching them spend $ $30 million on Nash + draft picks :lol, $9 million on Jordan Hill and 4/$21 mil to Nick Young (while passing up on other better opportunities) If I'm Kobe, I'm thinking, I'm going to get as much cash as possible, last thing you want to know is how management spent part of your money on guys like Ronnie Price, Wes Johnson and Robert Sacre :lol


The Buss kids are one of the dumbest group of owners in history. We have Jeannie (who I adore) being all sentimental about Kobe's contract and Jim who is absolutely clueless not realizing big names doesn't translate= championships anymore.

[midnightpulp]

Honestly though, I wouldn't trust the Jim Buss era management to do this. After watching them spend $ $30 million on Nash + draft picks :lol, $9 million on Jordan Hill and 4/$21 mil to Nick Young (while passing up on other better opportunities) If I'm Kobe, I'm thinking, I'm going to get as much cash as possible, last thing you want to know is how management spent part of your money on guys like Ronnie Price, Wes Johnson and Robert Sacre :lol


The Buss kids are one of the dumbest group of owners in history. We have Jeannie (who I adore) being all sentimental about Kobe's contract and Jim who is absolutely clueless not realizing big names doesn't translate= championships anymore.

Johnson has potential. Has the body/wingspan that any small forward needs to have these days. The Lakers should take the time to develop him (they do own a D-League team, which they seem to hardly use for player development) rather than throw money at the problem like they always do. No reason why Wes can't become a solid defender at the 3.

Danny Green was a cast off "scrub" once, as well. Now he's a vital part of a championship team.

I know player development is uncharted territory for the Lakers, but they have to start sometime. The days of raiding desperate franchises for their top talent are over.

[RsxPiimp]

Johnson has potential. Has the body/wingspan that any small forward needs to have these days. The Lakers should take the time to develop him (they do own a D-League team, which they seem to hardly use for player development) rather than throw money at the problem like they always do. No reason why Wes can't become a solid defender at the 3.

Danny Green was a cast off "scrub" once, as well. Now he's a vital part of a championship team.

I know player development is uncharted territory for the Lakers, but they have to start sometime. The days of raiding desperate franchises for their top talent are over.

I dont know mid. I mean, I do hope Wes finds his niche in the league even if he leaves the Lakers. He seems like he really wants to help his team rather than put up stats, and you can see he doesnt want to be labeled as a bust, but this is what? his 3rd team in 4 years as a #4 pick? Something's not right with the kid's head or maybe it's the Kobe factor because he was somewhat decent during D'Antoni's tenure which gave us hope, he'll come in better this year, especially after the mythical "You work out with Kobe, you get better period narrative".


Love his athleticism and his potential is still untapped, but dude doesn't have a heart IMO. But hey, he could be Gerald Green in 2-3 years.

[midnightpulp]

I dont know mid. I mean, I do hope Wes finds his niche in the league even if he leaves the Lakers. He seems like he really wants to help his team rather than put up stats, and you can see he doesnt want to be labeled as a bust, but this is what? his 3rd team in 4 years as a #4 pick? Something's not right with the kid's head or maybe it's the Kobe factor because he was somewhat decent during D'Antoni's tenure which gave us hope, he'll come in better this year, especially after the mythical "You work out with Kobe, you get better period narrative".


Love his athleticism and his potential is still untapped, but dude doesn't have a heart IMO. But hey, he could be Gerald Green in 2-3 years.

You're probably right. When I wrote that post, I forget he was 27. I thought he was like 23-24.