Kobe agrees to contact extension with Lakers

[Ayt]

How often does taking less money pan out to a championship? People were saying the same thing about Kobe's current contract and Lakers landed cp3 which got vetoed then they went on to get Nash and Howard.

Well, the current champs have multiple players that took less money.

[Hero]

This extension proves that Kobe is money first. All this talk about him wanting the 6th ring is bogus. If he really cared about rings he would have taken a pay cut like Timmy. It's plain as day that he is just cashing in.

[Ozark]

Thunder fans have been taunting him to shoot, hoping the ball winds up in his hands for 3 years now. That's at least 3 years he hasn't been worth a post-rookie max, much less this kind of money.

[Bruh Man]

Not talking about you Phil, you're actually a quality poster. But I just don't wanna hear how much this guys wants to win anymore from "his" fan-base when all evidence proves he doesn't always put winning titles first. Even if you guys made a mistake with this move it's a matter of time till you guys replace him with the next one in line soon anyways.

If all he cared about was winning he would have signed for the minimum with San Antonio and lead them to a title, I guess all players that sign big contracts don't care about winning.

[LLcoleJ]

How often does taking less money pan out to a championship? People were saying the same thing about Kobe's current contract and Lakers landed cp3 which got vetoed then they went on to get Nash and Howard.

Well, the current champs have multiple players that took less money.

.....and Lebron James.

And I look forward to seeing Lebron's future paycuts.

[Mr MoJo Risin]

Whoever and however many of these "elses" there are, Kobe taking more money doesn't help the process.

Lets wait and see how things unfold before we jump to this conclusion.

It isn't any type of assumption. It is a fact.

How is this a fact. Can you tell the future? Do you have a crystal ball and know what will take place in the future

[Ayt]

Whoever and however many of these "elses" there are, Kobe taking more money doesn't help the process.

Lets wait and see how things unfold before we jump to this conclusion.

It isn't any type of assumption. It is a fact.

How is this a fact. Can you tell the future? Do you have a crystal ball and know what will take place in the future

How can Kobe taking more money help the process of the Lakers acquiring other players?

[Mr MoJo Risin]

Whoever and however many of these "elses" there are, Kobe taking more money doesn't help the process.

It isn't any type of assumption. It is a fact.

How is this a fact. Can you tell the future? Do you have a crystal ball and know what will take place in the future

How can Kobe taking more money help the process of the Lakers acquiring other players?

How do you know by him taking more money, that they will fail in the future?

[LLcoleJ]

This extension proves that Kobe is money first. All this talk about him wanting the 6th ring is bogus. If he really cared about rings he would have taken a pay cut like Timmy. It's plain as day that he is just cashing in.

Are you not money first?


Also, how many rings has Timmy won with all these pay cuts?

[Hero]

This extension proves that Kobe is money first. All this talk about him wanting the 6th ring is bogus. If he really cared about rings he would have taken a pay cut like Timmy. It's plain as day that he is just cashing in.

Are you not money first?


Also, how many rings had Timmy won with all these pay cuts?

Tim made the Conference finals and then the NBA finals. How's Kobe doing ?

[CharlieMurphy]

This extension proves that Kobe is money first. All this talk about him wanting the 6th ring is bogus. If he really cared about rings he would have taken a pay cut like Timmy. It's plain as day that he is just cashing in.

Are you not money first?


Also, how many rings had Timmy won with all these pay cuts?

Tim made the Conference finals and then the NBA finals. How's Kobe doing ?

much better financially with more championships...

[WaffleRecord]

Not sure if posted yet, but..

"This was easy," Bryant told Yahoo Sports on Monday night. "This wasn't a negotiation. The Lakers made their offer with cap and building a great team in mind while still taking care of me as a player.

"I simply agreed to the offer."

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba--kobe- ... 19237.html

[LLcoleJ]

This extension proves that Kobe is money first. All this talk about him wanting the 6th ring is bogus. If he really cared about rings he would have taken a pay cut like Timmy. It's plain as day that he is just cashing in.

Are you not money first?


Also, how many rings had Timmy won with all these pay cuts?

Tim made the Conference finals and then the NBA finals. How's Kobe doing ?

Would it be a success if Kobe made the NBA finals and lost with a pay cut?

[Doctor MJ]

I don't really get this thinking. In some other business it might make sense, but in following the NBA we basically see the cards that are out there.

No. we don't unfortunatley. We can see the dollars ( contracts , caps) but we don't have any idea about what each team does from a business standpoint. We don't see their financials, we don't talk to agents, we don't talk to players, we no what trades could of happen and we don't know what trades could happen. We look at this from a vary myopic POV.

I think for the most part you're making this more mysterious than it really is. I mean sure, they have to factor in the money situation in a way we as fans don't have to care about, but if that's what they are doing, that only confirms that it doesn't necessarily make basketball sense.

Now when you talk about agents, etc, you're quite right this is dark matter. Realistically though, can you even imagine that any star would give his word years out that he was planning to go to a team when he hits free agency? I'm sure Kevin Love would love to hear the Lakers pitch, but none of these guys are homer enough to be dead set on moving to another team simply because they like the franchise's history and colors.

When I say I don't "see the plan", what I mean is that I look at the realistic options from this point onward, and none of them seem likely to succeed the way the Lakers want to succeed.

Would you see a better plan if it was.. :The Lakers have 50 million in cap-space after they renounce Kobe. They hope to sign Melo and Lebron. <- is that a plan that makes sense? Or the Lakers sit Kobe for the rest of the season and tank command for Wiggins. <- another iffy plan that could really set them back even more.

Well, I've said this might be the best plan the Lakers have, I just still don't like it.

I've got a lot of sympathy for Laker management. They deserve a ton of credit for both the Paul and the Howard deals. The Lakers should be set for the next generation already given the quality of work they've put in to putting a team together, but they really, really aren't.

As far as what I would do, I would at least wait for Kobe to really prove he was right back where he'd been before the injury.

I don't think this move was desperate at all. They were in the drivers seat. They have been known to throw alot of crazy money at players. They could have had cap space and hoped to get Kobe at 10-15 after they renounce him. Risky... yes. Desperate... I don't agree.

They agreed to pay a 35 year old still unproven after a potential career ending injury more money than the best players in the game when they still had more than half a year before he hit free agency. This is not the behavior of a party knowing they have leverage and using it. It looks identical in fact to giving the other party everything they could possibly want before the other party could reasonably expect to even ask for it.

The Lakers have more incentive now to make a contender than ever. Their TV deal is massive and the money in sports today is, well, insane.

If the Buss family is in worse financial shape now than they were before the TV deal and globalization boom of the NBA, doesn't that seem crazy?

I understand the temptation could be seen as all the stronger to maximize profits right now, but this is not a Fortune 500 company desperate to raise its stock price in the next year. The Buss family should be in a more robust financial position now, and thus more poised for long term thinking...

on the other hand of course, the Buss kids are probably not used to playing poker like this, which might be a part of the problem.

That being said, I am fine with Kobe being a Laker next year and I would be ok if the FO decided to move on with him in the summer. They made a move based on the information they have and their financial interests. If you think this was an appease the fans move, then ok. Personally, I think everything they do is to appease the fans. Which is pretty much been spending money, getting players and winning. They think Kobe is part of that plan still and I am going to see what they have left up their sleeve. I still watch every game with or without Kobe and with out or without being atop of the power rankings. I don't see desperation or duping.. sorry that happened to you.

When I say "duping" I'm not talking like I'm a victim here. And really I don't see the fans as victims either, I just think they are digging themselves into a hole.

Is it a hole they can't escape from? No, but why start digging if you don't have to?

[mopper8]

Are you not money first?


Also, how many rings had Timmy won with all these pay cuts?

Tim made the Conference finals and then the NBA finals. How's Kobe doing ?

Would it be a success if Kobe made the NBA finals and lost with a pay cut?

Absolutely. You don't think so?

[Doctor MJ]

How can Kobe taking more money help the process of the Lakers acquiring other players?

How do you know by him taking more money, that they will fail in the future?

It's not about that. It's about all things being equal, tying someone's hands isn't going to make it easier for them.

[MisterWestside]

I don't care how much money people make?

Well, okay then. Seems like it's otherwise, though.

you have proved I bragged about Kobe's contract?

No, I'm referring to how his huge contract can hinder the Lakers ability to build their roster:

But it will be harder for them because the Lakers have finite amount of resources X, and Kobe takes Y amount of resources; leaving X-Y resources left for everyone else. The larger Y is, the less X-Y resources are available for everyone else. Thus making it harder to acquire other players; that is unless they decide to accept the lesser amount of allocated resources available.

[microfib4thewin]

How often does taking less money pan out to a championship? People were saying the same thing about Kobe's current contract and Lakers landed cp3 which got vetoed then they went on to get Nash and Howard.

1. The vetoed deal was Gasol(20 mil) and Odom(8 mil) for CP3(16 mil). That deal would have saved the Lakers 12 mil for that year and about 2 mil/year for the next 2 years as Paul's max was slightly cheaper than Pau's extension.

2. Yes, they take up salary by getting Nash, but that was only after they inexplicibly dumped Odom in the first place. Let's also not forget they needed four draft picks to convince Phoenix to do the S&T.

3. They traded one year of Bynum for one year of Howard. They were both making similar amount so the Lakers did not take on more salary.

The Lakers could make moves back then because they still had tradeable assets. What do they have right now? They can't trade any 1st round picks from the next 3 years, they have an overpaid Kobe who's on the book for two more years, a severely overpaid expiring in Pau, a 40 year old Nash who's making 9 mil this year and the next, and a bunch of minimum players that would get no playing time on a team that isn't desperate. Taking less money will not ensure a title, but it will be a heck lot easier to retool the team.

[Hero]

Would it be a success if Kobe made the NBA finals and lost with a pay cut?

It's more of a success than getting destroyed in the first round or missing the playoffs is it not?
Do you see the Lakers doing well in these last 3 years of Kobe's tenure?
They'll be lucky to even make the playoffs. Is that the way he wants to finish his career? Either getting run off the floor in the first round or not even seeing the postseason for 4 straight years?

[Doctor MJ]

Kobe Bryant tells Yahoo Sports: "This wasn't a negotiation."

Clearly. No negotiation would have ended like this.