interesting read.....money over rings?
Options
mike06
Members Posts: 2,651 ✭✭✭✭✭
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=wojciechowski_gene&page=wojciechowski/100223&sportCat=nba
How rich is LeBron James? Put it this way: When ? needs some walking-around money, he borrows it from LBJ.
Dwyane Wade isn't exactly slumming, himself. Some people donate to a church; Wade bought a church for his minister mom.
And although Chris Bosh isn't in the same endorsement orbit as King James and D-Wade, he's still pushing $60 million in career salary earnings. So it's not as if Bosh is ordering the 89-cent, five-layer burrito from Denise.
LeBron, Wade and Bosh have money, lots of it. What they don't have is an NBA jewelry collection. Of their combined 30 fingers, only one has actually had an NBA championship ring wrapped around it.
Wade won his title in 2006, but the Miami Heat haven't sniffed a playoff-series win since then. James' Cleveland Cavaliers reached the Finals in 2007 -- and got swept. Bosh's Toronto Raptors have been to the postseason twice but haven't made it out of the first round.
All that could change if James, Wade and Bosh decide to put dynasties over dollars, basketball legacies over bank accounts. They just need a dotted line and some stones as big as the ones in Olympic curling.
As ridiculous as it sounds, there exists a scenario in which these three guys could play on the same team and win championships happily ever after starting next season. For once, someone could say, "It's not about the money," and actually mean it.
As you probably noticed, the recent NBA trade deadline isn't just about trading players. It's usually about trading contracts, preferably the expiring kind. It's white-flag economics, where teams essentially admit Steven Seagal has a better chance of winning an Oscar than they do of competing for a championship. So they start dumping salaries into the league's Port-o-? .
Four teams did a lot of flushing in recent weeks: the New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Sacramento Kings and the Los Angeles Clippers. (What? Donald Sterling? Go cheap?) And three other franchises also can stretch their legs when it comes to salary-cap space: the Heat, New Jersey Nets and Minnesota Timberwolves.
Without going all capology on you, it looks as though next season's projected salary cap will be between $50.4 million and $53.6 million. Now compare that to the financial wiggle room those seven teams have in 2010-11.
Right now, the Knicks are on the hook for only $18.6 million in contracts next season. The Nets are committed to just $26.6 million worth of deals, while the Heat are at $30.7 million, the Bulls at $31.9 million, the Clippers at $33.5 million, the Kings at $33.9 million and the T-Wolves at $35.2 million.
The numbers could change by July, but at least this gives you an idea of who has the most money to make a run at one of the great unrestricted free-agent classes in NBA history.
From a pure salary standpoint, there's no reason James, Wade and Bosh should bolt. If they max out with their teams, they'll get six-year deals with 10.5 percent annual salary increases. If they move, they'll get only five-year deals at a lower annual increase rate of 8 percent. LeBron could leave $30 million on the table if he ditches the Cavs.
I'd ditch them. If you're really serious about creating a brand and a basketball legacy, do something that's never been done before. Don't max out; min out.
Depending on the final salary-cap numbers, the Knicks could have about $33 million to spend on free agents in the summer. Under normal circumstances, that's enough to offer, say, James a max deal and then fill in the roster holes with whatever is left over.
But if James, Wade and Bosh truly want to make history, they could do the unthinkable and split the Knicks' $33 million three ways. It would cost them salary money, but can you imagine how much they'd make on the back end if they started reeling in NBA titles? In New York?
Whatever they'd lose on their paycheck stubs, they'd make up in endorsements. And it's not as if they're filing simple federal tax returns these days. According to a 2009 Forbes analysis, LeBron earned about $42.4 million in salary and endorsements -- more than Britney Spears, Jay-Z or Tom Cruise and almost as much as Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie combined.
Wade was No. 12 on Sports Illustrated's 2009 Fortunate 50, earning $26.4 million in salary and endorsements. Bosh didn't make the top 50, but he is making $15.7 million from the Raptors this season.
Anyway, they all can afford to do something daring. Just think: James, Wade and Bosh at Madison Square Garden.
Seriously, who would touch them? Wade at guard. LeBron at point forward. Bosh in the post or on the wing. Three good guys who could handle the New York media. Three seven-year veterans who understand you get only so many chances to hug the Larry O'Brien Trophy. Three singular players who know careers are defined by championships, not just checkbooks.
Dream Team Jr. could get by on about $11 million each, couldn't it? Yeah, they'd take a cut in pay, but they'd get a raise in title runs.
Don't say no just yet, fellas. And whatever you do, don't tell your agents. (They'll melt like the gestapo guy in "Raiders of the Lost Ark.")
Instead, close your eyes and think about ticker-tape parades, victory cigars and championship rings the size of clementines. Now try to put a price tag on it.
I'll save you the trouble. You can't.
this makes alot more sense then when the lakers tried it with Malone and Payton back in the day....and after seeing Boston win one this way i think they could actually get rings together if they all stayed healthy and focused.....shooooooooow light....lol
How rich is LeBron James? Put it this way: When ? needs some walking-around money, he borrows it from LBJ.
Dwyane Wade isn't exactly slumming, himself. Some people donate to a church; Wade bought a church for his minister mom.
And although Chris Bosh isn't in the same endorsement orbit as King James and D-Wade, he's still pushing $60 million in career salary earnings. So it's not as if Bosh is ordering the 89-cent, five-layer burrito from Denise.
LeBron, Wade and Bosh have money, lots of it. What they don't have is an NBA jewelry collection. Of their combined 30 fingers, only one has actually had an NBA championship ring wrapped around it.
Wade won his title in 2006, but the Miami Heat haven't sniffed a playoff-series win since then. James' Cleveland Cavaliers reached the Finals in 2007 -- and got swept. Bosh's Toronto Raptors have been to the postseason twice but haven't made it out of the first round.
All that could change if James, Wade and Bosh decide to put dynasties over dollars, basketball legacies over bank accounts. They just need a dotted line and some stones as big as the ones in Olympic curling.
As ridiculous as it sounds, there exists a scenario in which these three guys could play on the same team and win championships happily ever after starting next season. For once, someone could say, "It's not about the money," and actually mean it.
As you probably noticed, the recent NBA trade deadline isn't just about trading players. It's usually about trading contracts, preferably the expiring kind. It's white-flag economics, where teams essentially admit Steven Seagal has a better chance of winning an Oscar than they do of competing for a championship. So they start dumping salaries into the league's Port-o-? .
Four teams did a lot of flushing in recent weeks: the New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Sacramento Kings and the Los Angeles Clippers. (What? Donald Sterling? Go cheap?) And three other franchises also can stretch their legs when it comes to salary-cap space: the Heat, New Jersey Nets and Minnesota Timberwolves.
Without going all capology on you, it looks as though next season's projected salary cap will be between $50.4 million and $53.6 million. Now compare that to the financial wiggle room those seven teams have in 2010-11.
Right now, the Knicks are on the hook for only $18.6 million in contracts next season. The Nets are committed to just $26.6 million worth of deals, while the Heat are at $30.7 million, the Bulls at $31.9 million, the Clippers at $33.5 million, the Kings at $33.9 million and the T-Wolves at $35.2 million.
The numbers could change by July, but at least this gives you an idea of who has the most money to make a run at one of the great unrestricted free-agent classes in NBA history.
From a pure salary standpoint, there's no reason James, Wade and Bosh should bolt. If they max out with their teams, they'll get six-year deals with 10.5 percent annual salary increases. If they move, they'll get only five-year deals at a lower annual increase rate of 8 percent. LeBron could leave $30 million on the table if he ditches the Cavs.
I'd ditch them. If you're really serious about creating a brand and a basketball legacy, do something that's never been done before. Don't max out; min out.
Depending on the final salary-cap numbers, the Knicks could have about $33 million to spend on free agents in the summer. Under normal circumstances, that's enough to offer, say, James a max deal and then fill in the roster holes with whatever is left over.
But if James, Wade and Bosh truly want to make history, they could do the unthinkable and split the Knicks' $33 million three ways. It would cost them salary money, but can you imagine how much they'd make on the back end if they started reeling in NBA titles? In New York?
Whatever they'd lose on their paycheck stubs, they'd make up in endorsements. And it's not as if they're filing simple federal tax returns these days. According to a 2009 Forbes analysis, LeBron earned about $42.4 million in salary and endorsements -- more than Britney Spears, Jay-Z or Tom Cruise and almost as much as Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie combined.
Wade was No. 12 on Sports Illustrated's 2009 Fortunate 50, earning $26.4 million in salary and endorsements. Bosh didn't make the top 50, but he is making $15.7 million from the Raptors this season.
Anyway, they all can afford to do something daring. Just think: James, Wade and Bosh at Madison Square Garden.
Seriously, who would touch them? Wade at guard. LeBron at point forward. Bosh in the post or on the wing. Three good guys who could handle the New York media. Three seven-year veterans who understand you get only so many chances to hug the Larry O'Brien Trophy. Three singular players who know careers are defined by championships, not just checkbooks.
Dream Team Jr. could get by on about $11 million each, couldn't it? Yeah, they'd take a cut in pay, but they'd get a raise in title runs.
Don't say no just yet, fellas. And whatever you do, don't tell your agents. (They'll melt like the gestapo guy in "Raiders of the Lost Ark.")
Instead, close your eyes and think about ticker-tape parades, victory cigars and championship rings the size of clementines. Now try to put a price tag on it.
I'll save you the trouble. You can't.
this makes alot more sense then when the lakers tried it with Malone and Payton back in the day....and after seeing Boston win one this way i think they could actually get rings together if they all stayed healthy and focused.....shooooooooow light....lol
Comments
-
it does make sense but it will never happen to many egos stands for trouble & its business first most athlete's
want the paper before anything -
well which one do you think has the biggest ego out of the 3....i mean if they can make it work for team USA and a gold medal i dont see why they cant put their egos aside for a ring...or rings...lol...damn that team would be sick though wit those 3 on it.....
-
nice in theory, but i dont think it will happen. these guys ego's are too big to sign for less money and let ? like al harrington make more than them
-
nice in theory, but i dont think it will happen. these guys ego's are too big to sign for less money and let ? like al harrington make more than them
lmao....i think big Al would be out of the building if that were to happen but i see what your sayin...ok so if they are the top 3 highest paid on thier team does that soothe thier ego's long enough to chase the rings.....see i think out of the 3 Lebron prolly has the biggest ego(due to the hype he's gotten since high school) but he also is a team first guy...Wade already having a ring wouldn't have too much of an ego to feed other than prolly thinkin he can win one w/o Shaq...and again he's a team first guy too. -
lmao....i think big Al would be out of the building if that were to happen but i see what your sayin...ok so if they are the top 3 highest paid on thier team does that soothe thier ego's long enough to chase the rings.....see i think out of the 3 Lebron prolly has the biggest ego(due to the hype he's gotten since high school) but he also is a team first guy...Wade already having a ring wouldn't have too much of an ego to feed other than prolly thinkin he can win one w/o Shaq...and again he's a team first guy too.
lol yea al would be long gone, but i was just using him as an example.
wade has a big ego and im not so sure he'd be willing to take a back seat to lebron. i think all these guys are me first, team second. if anything, bosh should be trying to take less to go wherever they go. maybe it's just me, but i dont think he's worth max money. if he's your #1 option, you not getting past the 2nd round. if he's your #2 option, you can win a title.
maybe its just the orlando fan in me hoping this ? doesnt happen lol -
lol yea al would be long gone, but i was just using him as an example.
wade has a big ego and im not so sure he'd be willing to take a back seat to lebron. i think all these guys are me first, team second. if anything, bosh should be trying to take less to go wherever they go. maybe it's just me, but i dont think he's worth max money. if he's your #1 option, you not getting past the 2nd round. if he's your #2 option, you can win a title.
maybe its just the orlando fan in me hoping this ? doesnt happen lol
yeah that sounds about right....lmao!!
see i dont see any of em havign a problem defering to the other one...Wade can set up Lebron and vice versa...Bosh might not get the same numbers and touches that he's used but he can clean up thier mess and still get his.... -
Luckily their teams can pay them more than other other team via "Bird rights"
-
? i wish this would happen, i'd even like for 2 players like Lebron and Bosh to sign for alil less so that we'd be able to keep David Lee....
but thats in a perfect world, i just know that if Lebron dont come to NY everytime he plays a game in the garden he'll get boo'd when he touches the ball -
millz_flybridge wrote: »? i wish this would happen, i'd even like for 2 players like Lebron and Bosh to sign for alil less so that we'd be able to keep David Lee....
but thats in a perfect world, i just know that if Lebron dont come to NY everytime he plays a game in the garden he'll get boo'd when he touches the ball
He doesn't care about that nor will he make his decision based on that. I think it would be illegal against the player's association to take less money in order to load a team but I could be wrong. And if the Knicks get Bosh there is no way they need Lee anymore; the Knicks DESPIRATELY need a big man. -
As much as those guys want a ring, I dont see them signing for less money. Egos play a huge part, will the chemistry be there for 82 games?
-
Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and LeBron James ... together again, maybe, in the NBA?
Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images
A spending spree for three? Knicks, Heat think really big
Posted Feb 25 2010 10:07AM
Everyone thought it was a big deal when New York Knicks general manager Donnie Walsh cleared out enough salary cap space at the trade deadline to sign not one, but two max free agents this summer.
Not big enough.
Everyone figured that when Pat Riley couldn't come up with a game-changer of a deal for the stretch run this season that he was saving up all of his poker chips to get Dwyane Wade an A-list playmate as the grand plan in Miami.
Think grander. Think bolder. That's what the Knicks and Heat are doing.
Quite simply, it makes no sense to limit your vision or your reach, so the Heat and the Knicks won't. Think LeBron James, Wade and Chris Bosh all together on the same team. That's the play.
The Three Musketeers. The Three Amigos. Three-mendous.
Call them whatever you want, but there is every reason to believe that the Knicks and Heat will make the calls and make the tries to make that happen.
Imagine the scenes when the clock strikes midnight on July 1 ...
An executive Learjet, lifts off from a private airport in Westchester County (N.Y.), stuffed with Walsh, coach Mike D'Antoni and enough leftover Wall Street bonus cash to fill Lake Erie, and heads toward a late-night rendezvous in Akron, Ohio.
About 1,100 miles away, a Cessna Citation X leaves the Opa-Locka (Fla.) Executive terminal with a Hall of Fame club president at the controls and a co-pilot wearing a long scarf, the goggles of a World War I flying ace and a No. 3 jersey, headed north.
Talk about your amazing race.
The Knicks and Heat shoot for the trifecta. Why couldn't it happen? Why shouldn't it happen? Some around the league already think it will.
If the appeal is supposed to be getting a pair of individual superstars to come together and pool their talents on the same team, then the logical extension -- and the biggest splash -- is to make the same pitch to all three.
In Miami and New York, the appeal would be for the threesome to remember the bonds they forged while playing for USA Basketball, where D'Antoni served as an assistant coach, and the dominance that went into winning the Olympic gold medal at Beijing in 2008. If that experience was fun, wouldn't grabbing the entire NBA by the throat for the foreseeable future be a giddy delight?
Surely, they'd be able to do that even if every other player on the roster were a minimum salary player. And they would be.
The impediment, of course, is the money. Each of them would have to leave something on the table. And, so far, no maximum level free agent in the NBA has ever done that.
Still, even if the Knicks were encumbered by Eddy Curry's $11 million, they could squeeze all three in, assuming everybody made a bit of a sacrifice. For James, any location outside of Cleveland will cost him $30 million for the extra year he could get -- according to NBA rules -- from the Cavs. Then you tack on the incremental raises he'd be eligible for and that probably amounts to another $36 million.
Hey, $66 million is nothing to sniff at, even if you're already wealthier than a few low level oil sheiks. Yet LeBron is much more of a wild card if you figure that whatever he gives up on the front end of his basketball salary will come back if he adds a few titles to his resume.
And isn't it all about the rings more than the other things? And didn't Michael Jordan play for way under his market value, until those last two years in Chicago, in order to let the Bulls assemble the complementary parts around him?
Would Wade, who already has one ring, give up part of his paycheck to get another one or five with LeBron and Bosh as the toasts of Broadway rather than risk becoming a wasted spot of spilled suntan oil around South Beach?
Bosh has made a few noises, asking why he should be the one to move on from Toronto when he can stay put and be the highest-paid center of the Raptors' universe. Really? Would James and Wade in New York be enough to lure him?
As much as there is the appeal for the Knicks to try the triple play, it could be easier to see it happening in Miami. For one, the Heat have to recruit only two outsiders, not three. Then there's the appeal of the South Beach lifestyle. And the Heat have an up-and-comer already on the roster in Michael Beasley.
As an inducement, Riley might even offer that if LeBron, Wade and Bosh would join forces in Miami, he could guarantee the services of a Hall of Fame coach named -- ahem -- Riley.
There's no reason it shouldn't happen. While everyone in the NBA is thinking big, the Knicks and the Heat will think even bigger.
Miami wants more than two to tango.
New York, New York, New York. So good the Knicks will pitch it thrice. -
I dont think they would do it. Like ppl said before, the ego's wont let it happen. They all arent old enough to WANT to play with a player thats almost as good as them. In LeBron's case, you KNOW he wants to win the ring being THE MAN. Bosh needs somebody better than him though. He cant carry a team. Wade just needs somebody else that can score lol
-
He doesn't care about that nor will he make his decision based on that. I think it would be illegal against the player's association to take less money in order to load a team but I could be wrong. And if the Knicks get Bosh there is no way they need Lee anymore; the Knicks DESPIRATELY need a big man.
? i aint sayin he would make a decision based on that....but if u think he doesnt care then ur crazy....that ? love NY, u can tell
and Bosh is a great player in the league, and yea we need a big man...but puttin Bosh and Lee next to each other is good money, yea they wont stop any1 in the post BUT what team is really gonna have 2 bigmen that could chase them up and down the court, and David lee has solidified himself as a legit double/double guy on the nightly basis and hes a Knick fan favorite, all of us Knick fans wanna keep him in NY -
yeah i think along with the fact they are cool off the court, this would also help thier marketing dollars too...
-
sounds all good but will never happen...
-
my only thing....is mike d'antoni still gonna b the coach? hell yeah they'll score BUCKETS everynight....the garden will b sold out everynight(even to watch away games on the screen)....but wit him as a coach? idk man. i mean he had quite few chances to reach the nba finals(albiet some things happend....things called the dallas mavericks and san antonio spurs)...but then again...maybe he could...he'll have a MUCH easier time reaching the finals in the east than he did n the west. they'll b like the celtics 2.0....but as u saw with them...they put defense first...a team concept...and they were getting up there in years and their window was closing.they put it 2gether and won a championship in 1 year. james, wade and bosh....well...more like james and bosh(cuz wade is already 28...he's much closer to that 'window') have at least 5 or so years b4 they have to think about their window inching closer to closing. i dont think money will b a problem...with those 3 on a team....endorsments will come ROLLING in but what about their egos? will they put the team first? what about defense? being that d'antoni is an offensive coach...will he buy into the 'defense first' concept? i will say this....IF this happens...and they DO become the celtics 2.0....i think they'll run off like 3 or more championships. why u ask? cuz....they have what the celtics dont....youth in their main guys. u saw what happen last year when KG got hurt....they lost in the 2nd round. and ur seeing whats happening this year...there getting older by each game. maybe they'll turn it on during the play-offs? idk but i do believe that if wade,james and bosh DO end up on a team together(not only is melo gonna b ? ...dats my ? ) they'll b holding the NBA hostage for those championship rings. it dont much matter who the supporting cast is....as long as the supporting class plays D(jus like the celtics did in '07-'08)...u'll have to pick a poison whenever u play against them. i dont think this will happen....but i guess it'll depend on who's hoisting that trophy at the end of the season and what they all will feel like when the summer comes.
-
millz_flybridge wrote: »? i aint sayin he would make a decision based on that....but if u think he doesnt care then ur crazy....that ? love NY, u can tell
and Bosh is a great player in the league, and yea we need a big man...but puttin Bosh and Lee next to each other is good money, yea they wont stop any1 in the post BUT what team is really gonna have 2 bigmen that could chase them up and down the court, and David lee has solidified himself as a legit double/double guy on the nightly basis and hes a Knick fan favorite, all of us Knick fans wanna keep him in NY
Let me tell you, your overattng NY, it's my home, but you overatting it. Lebron's sneakers will sell in whether he is in NY or Cleveland. And regarding David Lee, let me ask you something, what exacty is David Lee? I'll tell you, OVERRATTED. He's the best player on a perennially bad team. He doesn't play any defense and isn't a go to guy down the strecth. Can he guard Tim Duncan? Or Kevin Garnett? Bosh? NO. And please don't tell me I don't watch enough games because I've watched this sorry team since they brought Marbury's ass here. And I like David Lee, he's a hard worker, has worked on his game tramendously, he's finally added that jumper that has made him an allstar, but he is NOT a star or a go to player. And if any one gives him max money (Someone will), they will regret it, does Zact Randolf ring a bell? If you get Bosh, you need to put him net to someone like a Brendan Haywood, THAT'S a front line.
![[Trillmatic]](https://us.v-cdn.net/5019160/uploads/customavatars/27/navatar_273727.jpg){kind=avatar}
