Podirk wrote:Very interesting.....
Some how I made a statement in a question. (I 100% think Harden wanted to be the man, even if he got the 4/60 he would have been 3rd fiddle, there is only so much ball to go around). I was more referring to the Millers, Wrights, etc that everyone freaked out about this summer because Thunder have no bench (hindsight but wow I like the Thunder bench). Going into the tax one year early (if you looked at my posting referring to the repeater) can really cost you come KD and RW contract time. So a few million into the tax this season, could essentially cost you resigning one of KD or RW.
per cbafaq.com Going 12 mill into the tax this season would cost 21 mill and some change, with the repeater come KD and RW contract time that 21 mill goes to 35 mill range. So that extra 12 mill this year (eating into the 30 mill profit) and the 21 mill tax (finishing off that profit) is why Presti and Co operate the way they do.
It's an interesting concept for fans to imply that owners are cheap for not going into the tax, when said fans want them too (without the knowledge of the teams short and long term goals, let alone the CBA). It's also interesting that said fans don't put any blame on the players.
A championship has to be an organizational focus. Owners, coaches, players.
If a player isn't expected to take less then they have earned (seems logical to me), why is it ridiculed that ownership should take less then they have earned (again, seems logical to me)?
I agree that it would've served no point to go over the tax to sign Wright. Mike Miller wouldnt have put us over the tax, because he was amnestied and signed for the minimum. Also, going over the tax line to sign a role player and going over the tax line to sign an all-star and arguably the best SG in the game as he's entering his prime is completely different.
I do realize the strict tax implications, I've looked at the CBA, I understand the penalties. If OKC had extended Harden to the max, OKC would be paying the tax this year (about 10 million over the cap). We could have paid the tax for a year or two, and THEN we could've traded someone if the cap concerns were too extreme. Keep this in mind though, we would've had basically four guys under contract long term making roughly 60 million annually. Perkins could've been amnestied. Vets like Thabo, Collison and whoever else would have been cheap contracts, and players on rookie deals could fill out the roster. (amnesty Perkins for christ sake) Its not like the salary ever would have reached 100 million. I get that the repeater tax is an issue, but I think we had 2-3 years before anyone would have even come close to losing money. If it became a huge issue then, we could've dumped salary.
I don't expect the owners to lose money when they purchase a franchise. i don't expect them to pay 90 million in tax penalties. I don't think keeping Harden around for 2-3 more years would've ever done that to them.
Winning a championship should be the most important thing in my opinion. Money is secondary, and when you're already a billionaire, and already making money off of owning a team, you shouldn't blow it up just because it cuts into your profit margin.
I know OKC is doing OK right now, but can anyone honestly say that we are better off today than we would've been with Harden instead of Lamb and Adams?
