The Dragon delivers

[lilfishi22]

Blake Griffin, who signed a deal at roughly the same time, is getting paid only $400,000 a year.

I wish I was only making $400,000 a year.

Don't forget the FREE SHOES.

[DRK]

Truly that 4thh quarter against SA still amazes me. I still watch it once a week. The "Dragic'd" play, 4-point play, and the step-in, jumpback three are the best in the bunch. I think more people on realgm need to watch those highlights before adding Dragic in as a throw-in to some of their trades.

Yeah. So do I. I love watching him doing the spin moves in the post. When he did it over Duncan I went crazy. I also loved watching the reaction of the Suns bench, and the scene inside the locker room after the game.

[Sun Scorched]

Blake Griffin, who signed a deal at roughly the same time, is getting paid only $400,000 a year.

I wish I was only making $400,000 a year.

Don't forget the FREE SHOES.

Wait... you mean Taylor Griffin? Right?

Blake is making $5.36m.

[lilfishi22]

Wait... you mean Taylor Griffin? Right?

Blake is making $5.36m.

That's salary. Blake signed a shoe deal worth roughly $400,000 a year.

Taylor Griffin made $400,000 on salary.

[grumpysaddle]

I'd take $300,000 to sit on the bench and get to travel for free.

Hell, I'd take $30,000 to do that. Who am I kidding.

[lilfishi22]

I'd do it for free. Hell, I'd even pay $1000 just to travel with the team. What an experience that would be.

[Sun Scorched]

Wait... you mean Taylor Griffin? Right?

Blake is making $5.36m.

That's salary. Blake signed a shoe deal worth roughly $400,000 a year.

Taylor Griffin made $400,000 on salary.

Hahaha. Gotcha! Sucks to be T Money in that situation.

Still, he signed on with some european team... so, at least he "can feed his family"

[DRK]

Hahaha. Gotcha! Sucks to be T Money in that situation.

Still, he signed on with some european team... so, at least he "can feed his family"

Yeah.. Caviar and oysters every meal. i hate how athletes make themselves look like they're needy, when actually they're making more than triple what most of us make. Makes me sick.

[grumpysaddle]

Hahaha. Gotcha! Sucks to be T Money in that situation.

Still, he signed on with some european team... so, at least he "can feed his family"

Yeah.. Caviar and oysters every meal. i hate how athletes make themselves look like they're needy, when actually they're making more than triple what most of us make. Makes me sick.

more than triple? most times they are making i'd say 10-15 times what normal humans make. they're just divas. and also most of them have no useful skills outside of playing basketball to use after they retire at 34-38yo. but still... most of the semi-stars salaries (say... $7 mil/yr) can last someone like me a lifetime. and that's just one year at $7 mil. I hope the new CBA cuts player salaries in half at the least.

[lilfishi22]

I think putting a hard cap is more important than cutting salary. A hard cap would lower the market value of players, thus cutting salary. It allows smaller market teams to compete with the big spenders (Orlando, NY, LA). Cutting salary but not installing a hard cap means those big market teams would be able to sign more stars for less money even if they pay luxury tax. The luxury tax line right now "limits" teams to 2-3(max) superstars. If they lower salary but not put in a hard cap, a team could bring in Wade, Lebron, Dwight, Bosh, CP3 for $8m-$10m each and still have cap space to spend before reaching even reaching the salary cap.

[DRK]

I personally do will not have a problem if the NBA makes it a hard cap, as i think it would force owners to think twice about splurging in free agency, and like you said Lilfsishii, it would make things fairer.

On the contrary, I think putting installing a hard cap would be harmful to the NBA in the long term. If a hard cap is installed, I can see more and more players going to Europe to play, where they would make more money.

[lilfishi22]

If they install a hard cap and players leave, then so be it. Players would consider Europe anyway if the owners/NBA manage to cut salaries in the new CBA. Fair enough if a few Josh Childress's leave for Europe, but for those who stay (most of the superstars), teams are still going to splurge on them and the fundamental problem with the current CBA (financial sustainability of teams) still won't be fixed.

Installing a hard cap means there will be a more even playing field and if the CBA comes through with smaller and shorter contracts, then bad teams won't be burdened with massive long team deals anymore, which means no half-decades of mediocrity.