January 10

[d-train]

How much do the Cavs owe Bynum if on January 11, he dies or is disabled in a space shuttle accident?

[bondom34]

Checking shamsports, its 6 mil guaranteed if waived before January 7 or clears waivers by the 10th, after that the first season at 12.25 mil is guaranteed. So 12.25 million, until next July when his second season kicks in:

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/ ... uaranteed/

[d-train]

So, the January 10 guaranty date includes non-basketball injury, death, and mental disability. And, the $6M becomes $12.25 on January 10. The FAQ says base salary is fully guaranteed on January 10 and I can't tell how much base salary is.

[d-train]

OK, I just read your link. There are no incentives so it's all base salary. That still leaves the other "guaranty" questions.

[bondom34]

I assume by that you mean the idea that he trains, plays hard, etc.?

[d-train]

Which guarantees are triggered by the January 10 date? (skill, basketball injury, non-basketball injury, mental disability, death, or all the above)

[bondom34]

I believe the year is guaranteed if he's just on the roster then. If he's cut due to skill, injury, etc. prior its 6 mil, after that 12.25.

[Y-Knot]

Are their any "incentives"-based contract success stories? Or do teams disfavor them and just want to get out clean.

[DBoys]

Which guarantees are triggered by the January 10 date? (skill, basketball injury, non-basketball injury, mental disability, death, or all the above)

Once we get to Jan 10, every NBA contract becomes fully guaranteed for the rest of the season.

[d-train]

Why are there 5 categories of guaranteed contracts if the guaranty is absolute? I thought "fully" referred to a prorated share of the base salary. As in, before January 10, base salary is prorated and after January 10, the full amount is apportioned. That is assuming the player and team didn’t negotiate an earlier date for base salary to be fully guaranteed.

[answerthink]

The January 10 deadline after which a player's base salary is protected for the rest of the then current season in the event of termination applies only to contracts that are terminated for lack of skill (though if a player whose contract is terminated for lack of skill prior to the deadline is injured as a direct result of playing basketball with his team at the time of termination, then, subject to the paragraph below, his base salary would be protected until he is ready to play again or until the end of that season, whichever comes first).

As a separate but possibly related point depending upon why you are asking, contracts can also have a prior injury exclusion (as was the case for Brandon Roy), which can specify alternate protections in the event of an aggravation or re-injury of a previous injury sustained prior to executing the contract. This exclusion is subject to a February 1 deadline, after which the player's base salary would be protected for the rest of the then current season in the event his contract is terminated.

In both cases, any subsequent seasons would have the protections as called for in the contract.

[d-train]

Thanks answerthink, I'm trying to figure out Bynum's contract. I've never seen such a large base salary subject to January 10 deadline for full guaranty. I get the impression many people believe the purpose of the large unguaranteed amount is for injury protection. But, that isn't the case. If Bynum suffers a basketball related injury, the full amount of his salary has to be paid until he is ready to play again (or end of season) even if the injury happens before January 10.

Given, the unguaranteed status of Bynum’s contract doesn't provide the team protection against season ending injury. It seems to me that if Bynum were a $12M player, some team would offer him a guaranteed contract upfront without the audition. Has there ever been such a large amount of unguaranteed money in the current year of an NBA contract?

[answerthink]

Most salary websites that report a salary as unguaranteed are typically referring only to lack of skill (unless otherwise specified in whatever notes they may have). Most player contracts are protected for injury/illness or basketball-related injury, and most do not contain a prior injury exclusion. However, each situation is different.

Brandon Roy’s contract, for example, was reportedly protected for lack of skill and for injury/illness, but had a prior injury exclusion eliminating the salary guarantee in the second season if certain conditions were not met.

It sounds like you understand the rules as they relate to salary protection. Therefore, to answer your own question, all you need to know now is exactly what protections and exclusions Bynum’s contract has. I am a rules guy. I don’t have access to individual contract details. I will defer that to someone who does. You can then apply the rules to whatever response you receive to form your own conclusion as to why you believe he received the contract he did.

Bear in mind that if his contract has not been terminated, Bynum will have already earned $5.3 million of his $12.25 million salary for next season by January 10.

[Three34]

When you run a salary website, you have to choose between everything people CAN know, and everything they NEED to know. If you tell them everything they CAN know, they won't learn anything, because they won't understand it, because it's bloody confusing. As answerthink says, when we report contracts as "unguaranteed", we refer to guarantees for lack of skill. This is because that's all that ever really matters.

In Bynum's case, he is partially guaranteed for lack of skill. He is not guaranteed against death, I don't believe.

[Three34]

If Bynum suffers a basketball related injury, the full amount of his salary has to be paid until he is ready to play again (or end of season) even if the injury happens before January 10.

Bynum has prior injury exclusions on a modicum of knee injuries.

[d-train]

Unless, there is something I don't understand, someone is a bad negotiator. Either the Cavs screwed the pooch for going on the hook for $12M, or Bynum's agent screwed up for not getting his clients money guaranteed. The market price for Bynum is either $12M or $6M. If Bynum's best guaranteed offer was in the neighborhood of $6M, the Cavs are a backache away from owing $12M to a $6M player. It seems to me the CBA isn't written to accommodate unguaranteed $12M dollar players on audition. Players on audition are usually on contract for the minimum salary.

[DBoys]

Players on audition are usually on contract for the minimum salary.

So it is. And yet, here the Cavs have chosen to put themselves with Bynum. Go figure.