Lamar Odom's salary would fall from $8.9 million to $2.6 in NBA owners' proposal

[Theoo's Daddy]

Memo to NBA players: It's time to wave the white flag.
Or at least put the menacing stares and looks of exasperation away for a while and insert a few (dozen) more concessions into the next proposal to force those draconian owners back to the negotiating table before things get even worse.
As the lockout approaches its two-month mark and with just one full-blown meeting having taken place since it began, the harsh reality is that the leverage players wanted so badly doesn't seem to exist.
The international job options that were limited to begin with are shrinking by the day. Euroleague officials are claiming disinterest in the idea of signing NBA players who are under contract, and the Chinese Basketball Association recently announced that it won't allow opt-out clauses in contracts, even if doing so means it can't have Kobe Bryant.
Decertification remains an option for the players, although dissolving the union would do immense damage to both sides, and it would only extend this sluggish situation considering the league filed a litany of preemptive lawsuits in early August. The NBA's message to its players: Go ahead and decertify, but run the risk of voiding all current contracts while continuing to avoid our inevitable victory.
The self-employment route is also a non-starter as a business strategy. Players are learning the hard way how vital the league's marketing machine is with sponsorship and television money. Exhibit A was there for all to see on Saturday night -- as long as you paid the $4.99 user fee charged by a startup basketball website that streamed the Drew League vs. Goodman League game.
It didn't matter how many stars played in the East vs. West battle of pro-am leagues at Trinity University in Washington, D.C., as numerous major television networks (including ESPN and Fox Sports) passed on the chance to air the game because -- as one involved person surmised -- one night of good business with the millionaire talent wasn't worth ticking off the billionaire bosses. Which says nothing of the endless problems the event had with the online streaming, paying customers getting stuck outside the venue and players griping about the not-so-small officiating snafu, in which Drew players weren't told until the final minutes that they could not foul out.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/201...p&sct=hp_wr_a2

[Sarcastic]

I hope they decertify and dare the league to void all contracts. Stern doesn't have the guts to go for the nuclear option.

[R.I.P.]

That has to be a joke. If that

[hawksdogsbraves]

I'm starting to think that some sort of league will start up as the lockout drags on. With no end in sight I could see the Drew League type stuff that is already happening developing further and getting a deal with a tv channel like versus. It would put pressure on the owners and allow the players to both play and make some money.

[All Net]

Thats a joke

No Season for a while then

[B-Low]

oh no that will only cover about 3-4 months of Khloe's demands for bacon and dinner rolls. Lamar has to hold out for the sake of his marriage.

[GiveItToBurrito]

I'm starting to think that some sort of league will start up as the lockout drags on. With no end in sight I could see the Drew League type stuff that is already happening developing further and getting a deal with a tv channel like versus. It would put pressure on the owners and allow the players to both play and make some money.

Isn't that sort of the plan in Vegas? The owners need to stop this stuff, aside from the fact that the system isn't completely broken, this isn't the NFL or to a lesser extent MLB where there aren't any other options. The only players who are really going to get screwed by an extended lockout are the marginal guys, the Dominic McGuires and Sundiata Gaines' who have maybe a three year window to make a million dollars or so to set them up for life. Jermaine O'Neal and Bargnani and guys making big money really don't have much to lose, especially since they can all just go overseas and lessen the financial hit they're taking.

[hawkfan]

I hope they decertify and dare the league to void all contracts. Stern doesn't have the guts to go for the nuclear option.

Stern can't do that, because the league is required to negotiate in good faith, and if he does that, that is an indication that the league hasn't been.

The hard cap is a bad idea because it just hurts teams that have a guy who sucks - a fat ass like Baron Davis, a guy on decline like Rashard Lewis, a lazy bum like Eddy Curry.

The best solution is a paycut of 10 percent for new contracts, and then 4 year max length contracts for regular contracts and 3 years max length for MLEs. That would eliminate most of the awful contracts that are dragging the entire league down - probably around 100 million per season.

[Wang Zhi Zhi]

****in Stern ****ing retard

[MeLO MvP 15]

I couldn't understand if they were implying that the owners want rollbacks to lower a guy like Lamar Odom's salary like 75% or if they wanted mid-level guys like him to only make around $2.6 mil... either way the owners are insane.

[barrys2c]

The league needs to explore more revenue streams - the sports betting industry is going to loose so much money from a lockout.

[Sarcastic]

Stern can't do that, because the league is required to negotiate in good faith, and if he does that, that is an indication that the league hasn't been.

The hard cap is a bad idea because it just hurts teams that have a guy who sucks - a fat ass like Baron Davis, a guy on decline like Rashard Lewis, a lazy bum like Eddy Curry.

The best solution is a paycut of 10 percent for new contracts, and then 4 year max length contracts for regular contracts and 3 years max length for MLEs. That would eliminate most of the awful contracts that are dragging the entire league down - probably around 100 million per season.

They've already gone to court, and stated that they can void all contracts if the union decided to decertify.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/bal...urn=nba-wp6830

[Walker]

I couldn't understand if they were implying that the owners want rollbacks to lower a guy like Lamar Odom's salary like 75% or if they wanted mid-level guys like him to only make around $2.6 mil... either way the owners are insane.

This is exactly the stupid reasoning the players are going into this with.
Only 2.6 million? ONLY?
2.6 million dollars a year is insane money, anyone who can't live VERY comfortably on that sort of money is a retard.
All professional players get paid WAY too much, well in most cases (not in Australia and some other places). What are they doing that justifies such ridiculous pay....

[Sarcastic]

This is exactly the stupid reasoning the players are going into this with.
Only 2.6 million? ONLY?
2.6 million dollars a year is insane money, anyone who can't live VERY comfortably on that sort of money is a retard.
All professional players get paid WAY too much, well in most cases (not in Australia and some other places). What are they doing that justifies such ridiculous pay....

What a player can comfortably live on is beside the point. The players have a value that the market should be able to determine, and instituting a cap limits them in their earning potential. Are owners capped on their earnings? How many other professions can you think of that puts a cap on earnings? Do CEOs get capped? Do movie stars get capped? Do musicians get capped?

[Kblaze8855]

What are they doing that justifies such ridiculous pay....

Being a few hundred people generating billions of dollars.

Im often amazed at how people choose to look at these issues. act like athletes are overpaid for getting a big cut of money they work to produce. So what its a game...the people spending billions on it...the money has to go somewhere. And the people generating those billions arent trying to get paid like they could be easily replaced. These arent employees at Mcdonalds. The NBa minus the best players in the world is not generating the money it does. The stars especially make so many people so much money they should probably be paid more. Lebron james jersey sold like 2 million times in 2011....at 35-80 dollars a piece. He may well have sold 100 million dollars just in nba related shit with his name on it. 20 thousand people will pay 10-1000 bucks to go see Kobe play in the PRESEASON for 15 minutes then sit out the night. While there they buy food, pay for parking, and get all sorts of things.

In one night...24 guys generate half a million justi n ticket sales and tickets arent even where most of the money comes from. Ive paid 50 dollars for NBA tickets and spend just as much parking, buying food, and so on

You have 30 teams of guys who can make a million+ EVERY night just off ticket sales. Plus a 7.4 billion dollar TV deal which is a whole other matter....

So much money is made of these guys the idea that they are overpaid because its just a game cant be supported.

It isnt a kid playing catch i nthe backyard. Its a handful of guys used to make billions of dollars.

Being good at that game is why.

Asking what they do to deserve the money just doesnt make sense.