Warriors owner criticized the NBA luxury tax. They fined him $500K

[Dan Z]

"The hardest thing of all is navigating this luxury tax, unfortunately. I went back to New York this week for labor meetings. I'm on the committee. And you know, obviously, the league wants everyone to have a chance and right now, there's a certain element out there that believes we "checkbook win," we won because we have the most salaries on our team."

"The truth is, we're only $40 million more than the luxury tax. Now, that's not small but it's not a massive number. We're $200 million over in total because most of that is this incredible penal luxury tax. And what I consider to be unfair and I'm going to say it on this podcast and I hope it gets back to whoever is listening … and obviously it's self-serving for me to say this, but I think it's a very unfair system because our team is built by — all top eight players are all drafted by this team."

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/nba-fines-warriors-owner-joe-lacob-500000-for-calling-leagues-luxury-tax-system-very-unfair-per-report/

[sp6r=underrated]

"The hardest thing of all is navigating this luxury tax, unfortunately. I went back to New York this week for labor meetings. I'm on the committee. And you know, obviously, the league wants everyone to have a chance and right now, there's a certain element out there that believes we "checkbook win," we won because we have the most salaries on our team."

"The truth is, we're only $40 million more than the luxury tax. Now, that's not small but it's not a massive number. We're $200 million over in total because most of that is this incredible penal luxury tax. And what I consider to be unfair and I'm going to say it on this podcast and I hope it gets back to whoever is listening … and obviously it's self-serving for me to say this, but I think it's a very unfair system because our team is built by — all top eight players are all drafted by this team."

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/nba-fines-warriors-owner-joe-lacob-500000-for-calling-leagues-luxury-tax-system-very-unfair-per-report/

Lacob is a good owner. He's willing to cut the checks, hires good staff and mostly stays out of the way. But man does he like to hear himself talk. And like Robert Kraft, another good owner, wants to get credit and share of the limelight

That said it is absurd he gets fined for criticizing the tax when we have NBA teams that actively try to lose games.

[skones]

No Joe, your top 8 players weren't all drafted by your team.

[ForeverTFC]

He knew the fine was coming, that's why he phrased it the way he did.

Though, saying all top 8 players were drafted by this team is pretty asinine. Warriors don't win without Wiggins, their tax bill is not high without Wiggins, and Wiggins was easily their 3rd best player all year.

The D'Angelo trade turned Wiggins won them this championship. Which means a 1 time cap increase that will never happen again won them this championship and 2 more. Warriors are a great organization, but they need to stop treating us like we're stupid and mythicizing their success.

[BK_2020]

If the luxury tax is incredibly punitive, then it's working.

[Blame Rasho]

Ummm only 40 million over salary cap… lol

[PizzaSteve]

The impact of good owners should be felt, not heard. Maybe we will hear a bit less going forward.

[skones]

Lightyears Lacob so far ahead of everyone else that he fails to realize the salary cap and luxury tax are in place to protect other teams, not to punish him.

[SleepingDragon]

Come back and say that when a team not paying the luxury tax wins a NBA championship.

[Calamity_Cometh]

They should apply whatever coefficient the Warriors tax bill has this year to his fine, just for the trolololols.

[Lenneth]

Come back and say that when a team not paying the luxury tax wins a NBA championship.

2014/2015 Warriors didn't pay the luxury tax.

[dhsilv2]

I'll never own an NBA team, but if I did, I'd be an insufferable full of myself guy on pods and tv too. Why not? I own a freaking nba team, I'm a billionaire.

[xdrta+]

He's not wrong. The luxury tax does the exact opposite of what other rules, like the supermax, rookie scale contracts, the Designated Rookie rule, etc., try to do, which is to keep drafted players with the team that drafted them. The luxury tax encourages teams to get rid of them. But 2/3rds of the league gets fat checks (for doing nothing) from taxpaying teams, so nothing will change.

[BK_2020]

Come back and say that when a team not paying the luxury tax wins a NBA championship.

The Lakers in 2020.

[Ilovethebay]

A lot of Lacob hate going on in this thread. I couldn't be happier as a Warriors fan that he is "our problem" and not yours.

[Ballerhogger]

The nba was light years ahead on that fine! good.

[Ballerhogger]

Come back and say that when a team not paying the luxury tax wins a NBA championship.

The Lakers in 2020.

[floppymoose]

No Joe, your top 8 players weren't all drafted by your team.

Yeah he misspoke there. It's possible he was thinking about bird rights, which they do have with Wiggins. They can go over the cap to keep him, so it's similar to having drafted him.

[whatisacenter]

A lot of Lacob hate going on in this thread. I couldn't be happier as a Warriors fan that he is "our problem" and not yours.

After the Chris Cohan era Lacob couldn’t be more different and every Warriors’ fan should be thankful.

[skones]

A lot of Lacob hate going on in this thread. I couldn't be happier as a Warriors fan that he is "our problem" and not yours.

I don't think anyone thinks he's a bad owner so much as some of his comments make him look like a pompous douche. That's fair play, he's entitled to that, but that puts a target for criticism on your back.