Future of the Salary Cap

AmusingFiddle · Post #1 » by **AmusingFiddle** » Thu Aug 7, 2008 2:16 am

I am not a pundit of salary cap rules and regulations. However, with the NBA players opting to play for European teams, salary cap has become serious issue in the NBA. I firmly believe there is a need to either change the process with which it is determined or not have one at all.

Even if Lebron were to opt to play in Europe, he would not be able to get the same endorsement deals as he would here in the US, as such, a smaller overall pay day. Primarily because soccer is the dominant sport in Europe not basketball.

I would love to hear some of your expert opinions.

hermes · Post #2 » by **hermes** » Thu Aug 7, 2008 2:33 am

[sarcasm]
i knew the US should have monopolized professional leagues when they had the chance, could have used Europe as the minor leagues or something

[/ of heavy sarcasm]

[serious talk]
i'm going to go out on a limb and say that lebron probably isn't to serious about going to Europe, thats why he threw out such a ridiculously high number, i mean 50 million a year!?! are you kidding who could afford that, much less want to pay it
but i would like to see an end to the salary cap (mostly because we are over it, and the tax could cause problems in keeping the team together)

[/serious talk]

mnkinga23 · Post #3 » by **mnkinga23** » Thu Aug 7, 2008 3:10 am

I really hope that big name players don't go oversees and here are some things that I think would give NBA teams a fighting chance against the Euros without throwing out the salary cap.
1. An upturn in the economy (obviously something that the NBA can't control but it would be nice for everyone and would make Europe less inviting.)
2. Allow teams to spend as much on one player as they want. This would allow the market to set a player's worth and not the CBA.
3. Repealing the salary cap to allow teams to spend up to the luxury tax on their own and other people's free agents. Gives everyone more money to spend and puts more money out on the market for restricted free agents (would have prevented Josh Childress from going to Greece by allowing teams that were over the salary cap number to spend the 12 million between the salary cap and the luxury tax.
4. To prevent teams from just spending all sorts of money on free agents, raise the luxury tax to $1.50 or $2.00 to every $1. This would still allow teams like the Knicks to spend whatever they wanted but teams would definitely be more wary of going over the limit. The added revenue to teams under the threshold would help subsidize teams in smaller markets.
The NBA is already higher profile worldwide than any other league in the world and thus, the top players in the NBA are at a strong advantage at getting endorsement dollars than their European counterparts. I think that combined with the four things above could even the playing field for teams in the NBA.

I put that up in another thread. I think that it would be an absolute mistake to get rid of the salary cap because it allows teams that don't reside in Los Angeles and New York to actually compete. If there was no cap we might as well have two divisions of the NBA, a premier league with all of the big market teams and a secondary league for all of the medium to small market teams.

laduane1 · Post #4 » by **laduane1** » Thu Aug 7, 2008 6:16 am

Cap is for the guys with math smarts. I just want to see a great team and hope they win a lot of games. Of course I want the best players we can get. But with Kobe making 20 mil or so. Odem up at 14 and Pau getting a hugh check. It is hard to fill out the roster with the better players. Bynum will be next to get his raise and Farmar will get a nice check in a year i bet.

All the numbers. Well I do not have time to look at all those. Let the people who get paid think of the cap numbers.

SPuL · Post #5 » by **SPuL** » Thu Aug 7, 2008 8:53 am

I think if they eliminated the cap.. You could just hand the title to Portland. No owner is gonna match Paul Allen

Post #6 » by **snaquille oatmeal** » Thu Aug 7, 2008 12:54 pm

to play devil's advicate- without the salary cap and luxury tax small market teams would have no chance at elite players. the Lakers, Boston, New York, New Jersey, Miami, Chicago and the Clippers would dominate the NBA for-ev-er!. yeah I said the Clippers!

Gus McCrae · Post #7 » by **Gus McCrae** » Thu Aug 7, 2008 3:56 pm

I don't think the salary cap is solely to blame for players going to Europe even though money is the main driver for all players to choose their city. The thing that irks me is when everyone says " who would want to play in Europe where there's no competition yadda yadda." For one, if I were Josh Childress, I'd take Greece over Atlanta (lifestyle-wise) 99 out of 100 times. No offense to Atlanta, but one's on the beach with perfect weather, amazing food, beautiful women, culturally rich AND he's playing a less-corrupted league (even though I know almost nothing about it.)

The NBA is seriously making people's stomach's turn in my opinion. Donaughey, Stern, superstar treatment, many of the game's are back and forth make up calls, and guy's like Childress, Jason Williams, Boykins, etc. will not flourish here. Not only will they increase their pocketbook, but they'll increase their playing time, and live very exciting lives. It makes me happy to see this and if Lebron left the NBA to go to Olympikanos (spelling?) I'd be happy, cuz it would probably mean David Stern's job.