kobe on taking less money

[LAKESHOW]

“The biggest thing for us would be to bring these guys back,” he said. “We play so well together — we built this cohesive unit, an I think that’s what’s on everybody’s mind that the team comes back ready to go.”

Would he take less money to see Ariza and Odom stay on the team?

“That’s not my responsibility, that’s the franchise’s responsibility to come to the table with things and have all the guys come back and make sure they get what they deserve,” he said.

Bryant said he plans to stay out of the gym and off the hardwood for about a month and a half.

“I’ve been through a lot of baskeball for the last two or three years,” he said. “It’s important to let my body recover

http://lakers.freedomblogging.com/2009/ ... ack/19305/

[daddyfivestar]

The Larry Coon article on Kobe's financial options is very informative. Sounds like Kobe will technically get paid less (but not much less >1 mil) for the upcoming season if he opts out. Kobe will be able to say "I took less" while actually earning more, long run, and specifically avoiding the CBA new contract bargaining in '11 and the over-36 rule.

http://www.realgm.com/src_feature_piece ... cy_primer/

[microfib4thewin]

That's the kind of response I expected from Kobe. Not that he has the responsibility to take a paycut so the team can stay together, but he's not going to volunteer to do anything when he doesn't have to.

[hermes]

i'm glad he's taking a break, he needs and deserves a good rest

[miggs]

Kobe's not going to volunteer to do anything when he doesn't have to.

Good answer from Kobe. I agree with the above. I think if it comes down to him getting paid less now but more in the long run in order to keep the team together and possibly sign a good veteran free agent for the MLE then i think he will take less. Kobe's got mad money, more money coming from endorsements if he keeps winning. Plus it's pretty clear Kobe wants more rings, he always talks about the team and how well they are together and will stick together and get back to business on taking the 2010 trophy too!!! GO LAKERS!

[daddyfivestar]

The actual pay cut is $707,682 if he opts out and signs a max deal.

Will Vanessa be ok with $700k less next year?

[AceFresh]

[Kweli]

If this team wasn't in LA, like a small market team for example, and struggled to consistently turn out a profit then I would be upset and Kobe not taking less to keep the team together.

But I agree with him. Since this team is in LA, and just won the Championship, then him taking less would only mean more money for Buss and the other owners. Why should he take less instead of them? Kobe earned his contract (assuming he takes the max) and the Lakers owners earned enough money over the past few months off this team that they can afford to dish out the extra to keep it together. Its their job, not Kobe's to do that.

[doozyj]

Kobe made $45MM last year which includes his NBA salaray and endorsements. #2 highest paid athlete behind Tiger's $100MM. He has more than enough to live comfortably the rest of his life from just a fraction of what he earned last year. Now he just needs to build a financial empire and hopefully one day own a piece of the Lakers franchise like our man Magic.

[Crooked-I]

I like the part where he said its the organizations responsibility to bring everyone back and pay them what they deserve. Very cool of Kobe to say that.

[KObe Bryant]

I think he's referring to us just paying the tax. It's really the team's responsibility to solve that and keep the team together.

[Mamba Venom]

Just in home game tix sales Buss NETTED 70 mil over the last 2 years. Then there is all that product he will sell (about 20 mil more his take).

90 mil made + an additional championship for spending an extra 50 on additional salary and luxury tax.

The key here is that PJ needs to come back so the Buss family feels good about the additonal loot spent. That 45 a mil is in no way guaranteed and most of the teams over the cap, don't get Laker type results.

[DEEP3CL]

I agree with Kobe, it's not his responsibility to accept less than his market value. The key here is for management not to get sentimental with certain guys, if somebody has to be let go in the process then so be it. Besides the way the league is now your team will change dramatically every 5 years anyway, I mean look how we look now compared to 2004-05.

Long gone are the days when your team would be the same for 7 or 8 year, like the "ShowTime" days. The core of that team was together for like 8 to 9 years, Magic and Kareem played 10 years together.

When was the last time that was done ?

[milesfides]

^I think teams would stay together a lot more if they had the success and talent the showtime Lakers had. That was one of the best teams ever. I mean, you had arguably the greatest PG and C ever, plus all-star caliber role players. That's crazy.

Players should be paid their worth, but also how they fit into our team. Luke's 4m is actually not that much, until we recognize that he plays like 5 minutes a game. Same with Sasha.

But really, our team has bigger problems.

A well managed team, like the Spurs, has a Kobe-like contract and player (Tim Duncan), then two ~10-mil contracts in Tony Parker and Ginobili. Everybody else is getting paid less than the MLE. You could field a roster like that without paying luxury tax.

Kobe shouldn't have to take a paycut because he's doing his job as one of the best players in the league. He's not the problem why our payroll is so high.

The problem is a combination of 3 factors:

1. we actually have TWO max contracts, one with Kobe and Pau Gasol (15 mil). That's another reason why Orlando is in a bind: 2 max players in Howard and Lewis. 2 max players = taking up a lot of capspace

2. Instead of 3 highly paid players, we'll have 4 if we keep Odom, if he gets paid more than the MLE.

3. 4 medium contracts in Fisher, Sasha, Luke, Morrison

That's why the Lakers are in this situation.

Then again, these players also make the Lakers organization a ton of money. And Los Angeles is a big enough market to be among the high spenders. Sometimes you have to pay to win, especially if you've made some mistakes in the past, and especially if you have the money to do it.

There should be a huge difference between the Spurs eying the luxury tax and the Lakers eying it.

Anyways, Kobe is an easy target because he does make a lot of money, but if he deserves it, pay him. Don't make him pay for management's mistakes, other players' inadequacies, and a city''s ambitions.

[daddyfivestar]

Kobe needs to forget about being like Mike... and start being like Magic!

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1 ... 961,752668

It's not a coincidence that the Lakers went back to the Finals the next season with a stronger supporting cast.

[kobe24forever]

It would be cool if Kobe did take a paycut but I would completely understand his reasons for not choosing to do so. Also Kobe taking a paycut that would definitely send a message to the rest of the team. If the captain is sacrificing his money for the betterment of the team, then that would definitely influence Odom, Ariza and all other players to do the same.

[microfib4thewin]

Obviously he deserves the max, but with a shrinking caproom in the future a 25 mil/year extension is going to kill any flexibility this team will have. It's not his responisibility to take a paycut, but when management has their hands tied up by the CBA he will have to decide if he prefers a pay raise more or winning another title more. We all know what happened to KG, and though this front office is not as incompetent it is utterly unrealistic to have one player takes up half the cap and get 120% return out of all the other contracts, because that's what any team will need if they want to make a title run under this condition.

[dingclancy]

Kobe taking a paycut does not mean salary cap flexibility. We will be above the salary cap for years to come unless Kobe decides to sign for the minimum (and even then we might still be over the cap)

This is about how much Buss is willing to fore go some of his profits and pay the luxury tax.

[microfib4thewin]

Being finanicially flexible and being over the cap are two different things. Pretty much every team that doesn't have a large amount of expiring coming off their payroll are over the cap, but it doesn't mean they are deadlocked into large and ridiculous contracts(Spurs, Pistons, etc). If it's true that Kobe is going to sign a 27mil/year deal for 5 years, I am sorry, but you would have to be utterly (Please Use More Appropriate Word) to think any management can still build a competent team with that kind of handicap, that is true with or without Bynum's extension in place.

Only for someone like Kobe will people encourage that he's overpaid. Meanwhile everyone expects Odom to be the good solider and take a paycut while staying on the bench when he could be a starter elsewhere.

[milesfides]

^It's just crazy; nobody should be expected to take a paycut.

Pay people what they're worth. No matter how much you think these players are making, the Lakers organization (and owners) make a lot more, and they're not the best athletes in the world who mortgage a decade or so of the best years of their lives to make money that'll have to last for the rest of their lives.

You can't put that on players like Kobe and Odom, push a paycut by peddling them a chance to win. The owners should pay if they want to win.

It's funny, I read British Airways are asking employees to work a month for free. That's ridiculous. Then again, they're going out of business. The Lakers aren't going out of business, making it doubly ridiculous.

Hey, maybe the market value for Ariza and Odom won't be that high. Then we get to sign them for less. But if they're getting substantial offers, and the Lakers are offering them significantly lower salaries, then lowballing them or asking them to take a paycut for the poor Lakers (one of, if not the most profitable franchises in the NBA) would be embarrassing.

Especially since the Lakers make about 4 mil per playoff game (12 home games en route to winning the championship - thanks to guys like Odom, Ariza, and Kobe) and raised ticket prices. Then they're going to lowball these same players?

That's embarrassing.