Kobe agrees to contact extension with Lakers

[ONEFORALL25]

This thread is a mess. But that being said Dr. Buss always said he loved Kobe. Sure they had their problems but so does every relationship in the world.

[TheRightAnswer]

The Lakers are the type of franchise that has the money to go well over the cap. They're worth roughly $900 million dollars (where the average NBA team is worth around $500 million). Kobe knows this and is basically putting the onus on the Buss family to go deeper into their already extremely deep wallets (even by NBA standards). Why should he take less money rather than them spend more money?

[Shot Clock]

The Lakers are the type of franchise that has the money to go well over the cap. They're worth roughly $900 million dollars (where the average NBA team is worth around $500 million). Kobe knows this and is basically putting the onus on the Buss family to go deeper into their already extremely deep wallets (even by NBA standards). Why should he take less money rather than them spend more money?

Please explain how LA is going to be able to go well over the cap in two years. I'd love for someone to walk through their thought process on this. Should be easy, two years any scenario that works under the rules using their current assets and cap commitments.

[TheBargnaniRule]

I don't think the people, who keep bringing up the Lakers wealth, know just how harsh the repeater tax is.

[derekc]

Im sure the Lakers do

[Ayt]

The team is willing to pay the luxury tax, this doesn't hurt the Lakers nearly as much as it would hurt someone else. Kobe can have his cake and eat it to, they can still resign everyone they have bird rights too, and can still move people to bring in others. Why would people think the Lakers can't bring in talent? Gonna be a lot of mad folks around here when they somehow end up with someone that seemed out of reach. I've basically accepted that they get whatever and whoever they want, lol.

Ive been saying this since page 40 or so.

These gold and purple bastards are worth in the billions.
An thats not even counting the inheritance Jerry Buss left his kids which is also in the billions.

I think David Stern and the NBA created this CBA to stop the Lakers and develop some competitive balance.
The sad thing is I don't think it will hold up too long. The Lakers bring in waaay too much money not just for themselves but for the entire league.

I really don't think either of you understand how the salary cap works.

I'd say it is 100% clear that they don't understand how the CBA works.

[Mr MoJo Risin]

Lakers take care of star players. This is another reason why players want to come play for LA

[Ayt]

Lakers take care of star players. This is another reason why players want to come play for LA

Like the best center in the NBA?

[Mr MoJo Risin]

Lakers take care of star players. This is another reason why players want to come play for LA

Like the best center in the NBA?

Marc Gasol was traded for Pau. 2 rings later, I think it was worth it, don't you

[Ice Trae]

I remember seeing that team stream app notifying me about this and when i saw the $$ per year i was stunned

[Ayt]

What did people call Ray Allen , Lebron, DWade, and Bosh when they all took less money to play together?

"Champions".

Not to mention Wade, James & Bosh only took about $2-mil less than max per year. $15-mil less than they could've gotten over 6 years. Just so they could fill the rest of the roster out. Pretty sure with bonus incentives (which don't affect salary cap) after winning the championships they're making max, its even-ing out.
And Ray Allen wasn't getting a bigger offer from Boston or anything.

Except they WERE called ring chasers. When the three of them formed the superteam, they had more incentives to take the paycut than the 35 year old Kobe who's already won 5 championships and is less likely than ever to win another one.

From now we might as well start bashing any player who signs the max contract and fails to win the championship

Only idiots called them ring chasers.

[Ayt]

I really hope everyone who's ripping Kobe would donate 30% of your wages to the government. You know.. so America can have a better chance of winning...

NM

[EddieJonesFan]

I was criticizing how stupid their plan was to begin with, Kobe's extension either shows incompetence in them executing their plan over the next two off-seasons, or it shows that they're waving the white flag in competing for championships any time soon. Either way, they shouldn't have done this extension without knowing where exactly they'll be by the end of the season. Maybe the ship has sailed on this, but the rational response to realizing that their cap plan isn't going to work, is to tank and make their '14 1st round pick as good as it can be, not just keep their plan and then continue to pin all their hopes on a speculative free agent class.

i don't see why 2015 FA class is unrealistic? what if durant/love continue to hit a brick wall in getting anywhere in the postseason. it's not like lebron, who already won 2 titles in miami. also, lakers don't tank. you may think it's stupid. i definitely think it's stupid. but they just don't do it, so you have to remove that variable from the equation and just be realistic.

The main problem is the same problem you always have when depending on free agency to completely re-build your team, it's extremely speculative in who will actually end up getting to the free agency process, and on top of that, you most likely need talent in place to entice FA's to take less money than they'd get from their current team and go to yours. The Lakers don't have that, they will have a 37 year old post-achilles injury Kobe (who is signed to a salary that takes up about 40% of the cap,) and who knows what else. Although I guess if they could get some players to collude like the Heat did, then that might work. However, banking on one big FA is a big enough gamble alone, so banking on two is an even bigger one. Durant and Love may not be incredibly pleased with how their teams have progressed so far in their young careers, but both of those teams still have a lot more to offer a young star in terms of championship windows than the Lakers currently do, and that's ignoring all the other franchises that will be vying for them.

Whether it's realistic to expect or not is immaterial to my criticism, just because they are not likely to do it, doesn't mean I can't incorporate that very attribute into my criticism of them. No one is forcing them to not re-build, it's their own decision that they freely make.

If the Lakers had decided to sacrifice this season to get a good draft pick, and tried to trade for whatever re-building pieces they could, then I think that would have helped their goal to sign big FA's down the line. Depending entirely on free agency and getting lucky to almost completely re-build your team, is not a good plan.

[JellosJigglin]

Ive been saying this since page 40 or so.

These gold and purple bastards are worth in the billions.
An thats not even counting the inheritance Jerry Buss left his kids which is also in the billions.

I think David Stern and the NBA created this CBA to stop the Lakers and develop some competitive balance.
The sad thing is I don't think it will hold up too long. The Lakers bring in waaay too much money not just for themselves but for the entire league.

I really don't think either of you understand how the salary cap works.

I'd say it is 100% clear that they don't understand how the CBA works.

Well luckily the Lakers do understand how the CBA works, considering they were able to trade for the supposed best center in the NBA and best point guard in the nba, both in their primes, all under the current CBA. I don't think you understand as much as you like to come off either.

[JellosJigglin]

I really hope everyone who's ripping Kobe would donate 30% of your wages to the government. You know.. so America can have a better chance of winning...

NM

I read that post last night before you edited it. Smart move. I assume you were either drunk or in a rage.

[choppermagic]

I really hope everyone who's ripping Kobe would donate 30% of your wages to the government. You know.. so America can have a better chance of winning...

Well, if you think of it this way instead, the answer may be YES!:

- You've had a full career where you already made 100s of millions of dollars;

- you have 2 years left before you retire completely;

- if you take a pay cut for the last 2 years of your successful career, you increase your chances of forming a group/team where you will do something legendary that would propel you far up into the greatest of all time considerations! It could be make the greatest movie of all time, cure cancer, discover a lost civilization, etc.

- also by cutting your salary to try and achieve this higher goal, you become even more loved by the public and fans;

some people are missing the point that Kobe might have gotten something even more valuable if he cut his salary down.

PS- people already contributes more than 30% of their salaries to the government so services like Health Care, education, social services, national defence can exist (all can be forms of WINNING).

[JellosJigglin]

I was criticizing how stupid their plan was to begin with, Kobe's extension either shows incompetence in them executing their plan over the next two off-seasons, or it shows that they're waving the white flag in competing for championships any time soon. Either way, they shouldn't have done this extension without knowing where exactly they'll be by the end of the season. Maybe the ship has sailed on this, but the rational response to realizing that their cap plan isn't going to work, is to tank and make their '14 1st round pick as good as it can be, not just keep their plan and then continue to pin all their hopes on a speculative free agent class.

i don't see why 2015 FA class is unrealistic? what if durant/love continue to hit a brick wall in getting anywhere in the postseason. it's not like lebron, who already won 2 titles in miami. also, lakers don't tank. you may think it's stupid. i definitely think it's stupid. but they just don't do it, so you have to remove that variable from the equation and just be realistic.

The main problem is the same problem you always have when depending on free agency to completely re-build your team, it's extremely speculative in who will actually end up getting to the free agency process, and on top of that, you most likely need talent in place to entice FA's to take less money than they'd get from their current team and go to yours. The Lakers don't have that, they will have a 37 year old post-achilles injury Kobe (who is signed to a salary that takes up about 40% of the cap,) and who knows what else. Although I guess if they could get some players to collude like the Heat did, then that might work. However, banking on one big FA is a big enough gamble alone, so banking on two is an even bigger one. Durant and Love may not be incredibly pleased with how their teams have progressed so far in their young careers, but both of those teams still have a lot more to offer a young star in terms of championship windows than the Lakers currently do, and that's ignoring all the other franchises that will be vying for them.

Whether it's realistic to expect or not is immaterial to my criticism, just because they are not likely to do it, doesn't mean I can't incorporate that very attribute into my criticism of them. No one is forcing them to not re-build, it's their own decision that they freely make.

If the Lakers had decided to sacrifice this season to get a good draft pick, and tried to trade for whatever re-building pieces they could, then I think that would have helped their goal to sign big FA's down the line. Depending entirely on free agency and getting lucky to almost completely re-build your team, is not a good plan.

You keep saying "it was a stupid decision to begin with". I'm trying to understand how clearing cap space to sign the best player in the game is a stupid move. Can you imagine if Jerry West said, "We have no shot at signing Shaq, time to tank for that draft pick". Thats not the Laker way. Never has been, never will be. They don't clear cap space for your "average" all stars. They find their superstars first and then build around them. L.A. Is about star power. They want the big fish. When they eventually get their stars, RealGm and the rest of the nation will be up in arms over the Lakers getting "gifted" another superstar, forgetting about all the times they swung and missed, like with Dwight and Lebron. I've already seen this same song and dance, and its what makes being a Laker fan so rewarding.

Regarding free agency, you make the assumption that the Lakers put all their eggs in that basket. Neither of us are in that board room, but based on history, I don't think that's a safe assumption to make. They're always looking to make moves if it brings in a star player. They traded for Dwight. Traded for cp3. Traded for Kobe. Traded for Kareem. Traded for Wilt. The plan to clear cap space is just one of multiple options. If not for an unprecedented move by the commissioner we wouldn't even be having this discussion right now. Cap space was just a back up plan that didn't pan out this time, but they get a few more swings at it over the next few years. I can guarantee you they're still looking at every other option though.

[Shot Clock]

I really don't think either of you understand how the salary cap works.

I'd say it is 100% clear that they don't understand how the CBA works.

Well luckily the Lakers do understand how the CBA works, considering they were able to trade for the supposed best center in the NBA and best point guard in the nba, both in their primes, all under the current CBA. I don't think you understand as much as you like to come off either.

The challenge still stands. Describe how the Lakers will be able to get well over the cap in Kobe's remaining years with the current situation and don't go outside the CBA rules.

Those deals you are talking about is back when LA had assets. They have literally nothing now. They have milked every trade pick. Can't trade the one they have this year. All they have to use is salary cap room and that's why Kobe's deal sucks.

You think anyone values a 34 year old Gasol like they did a few years ago with the Paul trade? Nash . They likely won't even re-sign Gasol because they will have to low ball him due to their finances now. They would need to either sign him early or renounce their rights because his cap hold will kill them if they want a FA. They traded away Bynum last year for a rental that didn't even get them assets in a sign and trade scenario.

The only assets you have in a trade are:

Valuable players - LA has none that are really sought after
Draft picks - those are gone
Cap room to take on salary in a trade - this is their only card left on the table.

[ShowTimeERA]

The challenge still stands. Describe how the Lakers will be able to get well over the cap in Kobe's remaining years with the current situation and don't go outside the CBA rules.

Those deals you are talking about is back when LA had assets. They have literally nothing now. They have milked every trade pick. Can't trade the one they have this year. All they have to use is salary cap room and that's why Kobe's deal sucks.

You think anyone values a 34 year old Gasol like they did a few years ago with the Paul trade? Nash . They likely won't even re-sign Gasol because they will have to low ball him due to their finances now. They would need to either sign him early or renounce their rights because his cap hold will kill them if they want a FA. They traded away Bynum last year for a rental that didn't even get them assets in a sign and trade scenario.

The only assets you have in a trade are:

Valuable players - LA has none that are really sought after
Draft picks - those are gone
Cap room to take on salary in a trade - this is their only card left on the table.

This I don't understand. What good is cap space without any top tier free agents on the market? Is Lebron leaving Miami to head out West? If not, then scrap the 2014 plan. Unless you think its smart to do what BK, Detroit, and many teams in the past have done. The current cap situation gives them flexibility to go after Love assuming he opts-out in 2015. Then in 2016, to go after top tier talent. If LA gives Kobe a similar extension in 2 years, then we can entertain your point of view.

Until then, basketball wise - this move doesn't nothing to hinder their capspace situation unless Lebron comes out tomorrow and says that he was willing to entertain playing for LA if Carmelo was also signed. But we all know that was a long shot..

[codigoman]

Epic fail from Lakers, although Kobe generates more than that money