Very Intersting Technicality that Could Save a Team Millions

Mamba Venom · Post #1 » by **Mamba Venom** » Thu Jun 11, 2009 6:23 am

I was listening to sports radio and it turns out there is technicality that can potentially save any NBA team millions in cap relief.

You have to go way back for the last time a team took advantage of this rule, but here is a hint, the Celtics did it after Red left.

The salary cap is calculated by the money that a team plays a player to play basketball. The salary a player can make in addition for being a player coach or a player assistant coach would NOT be calculated in the cap.

Any NBA team could pay separate salaries to coach and play and only the salary received for playing would go against the cap.

For example, The Lakers COULD under the rules of the collective bargaining agreement pay Kobe 2 salaries one say for 15 mil a year as a player and another for 5 mil as a player / assistant coach and the Lakers would not have to pay luxury tax on the 5 mil Bryant would receive for his coaching services.

Obviously any player/coach can not BS as a coach. He would have to accept more duties. He would actually need to be a coach on top of everything else he does. The NBA wouldn't stand for that. But the radio guys were talking about how Kobe was coaching the Lakers. He even had a clip board with Gasol on the bench drawing up plays. ZO said that Kobe coaches the Lakers more than Phil Jackson does at his celebrity golf tournament today.

For the Lakers that could mean hello LO and Ariza... it's glad to have you back!

There a few other guys in the league that could legitimately coach and play also.
Very thought provoking idea. Will it happen no, but a very thought provoking idea.

celticfan42487 · Post #2 » by **celticfan42487** » Thu Jun 11, 2009 6:31 am

Kobe is not coaching the Lakers more then Phil. Those radio announcers are going way over the top.Every player goes over the play and positions with their co-players. They have to make sure both understand the play exactly they want it. OR they talk about what freedom for adjustment of the play they want to use next time out on the court.

This stupid announcers remind me of the ones in Boston who talk like it is a 100% accepted fact that if KG was healthy the Celtics would repeat this year.

Clangus · Post #3 » by **Clangus** » Thu Jun 11, 2009 7:17 am

This is an interesting thought. Let me perculate on it for a bit.

Post #4 » by **jazzfan1971** » Thu Jun 11, 2009 7:24 am

If the league thinks that a player is getting paid under the table they take action.

For instance, you can't even pay a free agent's wife to be a broadcaster for your team.

Rasheeed!!! · Post #5 » by **Rasheeed!!!** » Thu Jun 11, 2009 9:04 am

yeah im pretty sure you can't do that. You're either a player or a coach but not both.

Post #6 » by **BrooklynBulls** » Thu Jun 11, 2009 9:06 am

i don't believe you are allowed to be a player/coach anymore. If it is allowed, I'd like to see the section which allows it.

Social Lubrication · Post #7 » by **Social Lubrication** » Thu Jun 11, 2009 9:33 am

22. Can a team circumvent the salary cap by paying a player less but arranging for an affiliated company to also pay him, perhaps by way of an endorsement contract?

I suppose it could happen, but the NBA will investigate if it suspects that an outside person or organization is paying a player on behalf or at the request of a team. If they find out that such an event has occurred, they will penalize the team. For the first offense by a team, the fine can be up to $2,500,000, forfeiture of a first round draft pick, and/or voiding the player's contract. The penalties increase for subsequent violations.

Incidentally, players are no longer allowed to become player-coaches. This is because it would be possible to circumvent the cap by signing a player as a player-coach, and paying him less as a player but overpaying him as a coach.

Post #8 » by **Schad** » Thu Jun 11, 2009 11:48 am

The 'violating the spirit of the CBA' clause is deliberately broad, to give the league a fair amount of leeway in determining when a team is trying to weasel their way around the salary cap. As SL pointed out, the player/coach scenario is explicitly banned, but a player/assistant GM, player/community relations director, or player/mascot circumvention would be equally frowned upon.

triplet1984 · Post #9 » by **triplet1984** » Thu Jun 11, 2009 12:23 pm

Social Lubrication wrote:
22. Can a team circumvent the salary cap by paying a player less but arranging for an affiliated company to also pay him, perhaps by way of an endorsement contract?

I suppose it could happen, but the NBA will investigate if it suspects that an outside person or organization is paying a player on behalf or at the request of a team. If they find out that such an event has occurred, they will penalize the team. For the first offense by a team, the fine can be up to $2,500,000, forfeiture of a first round draft pick, and/or voiding the player's contract. The penalties increase for subsequent violations.

Incidentally, players are no longer allowed to become player-coaches. This is because it would be possible to circumvent the cap by signing a player as a player-coach, and paying him less as a player but overpaying him as a coach.

End thread.

raleigh · Post #10 » by **raleigh** » Thu Jun 11, 2009 12:27 pm

That was quite the enlightenment.