NBA must stop this BS!

[AHF]

Cleveland wanted to keep Boozer. Didn't happen. Don't say they got screwed, they were being cheap and it bit them in the *ss.

That is just flat wrong. Cleveland had the right to keep Boozer at a very cheap price. Instead, Boozer agreed to a new deal with immediate raises but for less than he might have gotten by waiting and going on the open market. That is normal economics - Boozer agreed to lose some money in the long-term for more immediate money. Mechanically, in order to do that deal Cleveland had to basically let their option lapse and then sign him to the new contract after their right to keep him at an extremely low price was gone. He waited until after that right expired and then reneged on the deal and left Cleveland high and dry. That is the definition of dirty pool.

If Boozer wasn't willing to sign the deal he agreed upon, he shouldn't have agreed to it and should have let them know instead of lying about it in order to get them to waive their contractual right to keep him under a really cheap contract for another year.

I don't see how anyone can blame Cleveland for giving Boozer what he said he wanted and then having him pull the rug out from under the deal he agreed to. If you blame Cleveland then you are saying that they should have assumed that Boozer had no honor and no integrity. I'd like to think that most players don't stoop that low. Even Lebron only led Cleveland on - he didn't actually promise them he was signing a new deal and renege.

Boozer has no integrity and I don't blame Cleveland for that.

Edited February 8, 2011 by AHF

[Seano]

I hope the next collective bargaining agreement shifts more of the leverage to management with star players because - as a fan - I like watching stars build with the team that is their identity rather than this escalating trend of speculation that Deron Williams is leaving Utah, Carmelo is leaving Denver, CP3 is buying time to leave NO, etc.

It makes Kevin Durant all the more likeable for me.

I hope to see either greater differences in what the "home" team can offer (now the incumbent team can offer a bit more money and one more year on a contract if they have bird rights) or a franchise tag for each team that would guarantee premium money to the athlete but gives team the leverage to keep their franchise players. I think in the long-run that makes for a healthier league, a better product, and more money for both the owners and players.

Yep. The alternative to that is to have a league of a few 'haves', with star players being able to practice collusion together so as to all band together on a few select teams, and with the vast majority of the rest of the league being 'have nots', because they are unable to retain their star players even if they've got them. That obviously would make for a much weaker product, and would be very bad for the NBA and really all its fans minus those in NY, BOS, MIA, LAL, ORL, and etc etc etc. That promotes disparity, and if it ever got to that point, I'd just discontinue watching or following the NBA altogether.

[Joker]

That is just flat wrong. Cleveland had the right to keep Boozer at a very cheap price. Instead, Boozer agreed to a new deal with immediate raises but for less than he might have gotten by waiting and going on the open market. That is normal economics - Boozer agreed to lose some money in the long-term for more immediate money. Mechanically, in order to do that deal Cleveland had to basically let their option lapse and then sign him to the new contract after their right to keep him at an extremely low price was gone. He waited until after that right expired and then reneged on the deal and left Cleveland high and dry. That is the definition of dirty pool.

If Boozer wasn't willing to sign the deal he agreed upon, he shouldn't have agreed to it and should have let them know instead of lying about it in order to get them to waive their contractual right to keep him under a really cheap contract for another year.

I don't see how anyone can blame Cleveland for giving Boozer what he said he wanted and then having him pull the rug out from under the deal he agreed to. If you blame Cleveland then you are saying that they should have assumed that Boozer had no honor and no integrity. I'd like to think that most players don't stoop that low. Even Lebron only led Cleveland on - he didn't actually promise them he was signing a new deal and renege.

Boozer has no integrity and I don't blame Cleveland for that.

You let him opted out of his rights because you agreed to a deal behind closed doors. That's great and all but the #1 rule in business that doesn't involves hit-man is you do everything in contract. If not, you can end up like Cleveland. That's not getting screwed, that's just being stupid. They should have waited like anyone else who had his rights. Paid him a lot more but at least they would have Boozer and Lebron together. I blame both because of Boozer's ethics and Cleveland's stupidity. Never renege rights and no one has done what Cleveland has done since. That should tell you that what Cleveland did, most think was really stupid.

[dlpin]

You know what the best way to stop superteams from forming is?

Eliminate maximum salaries. Leave just a cap, but do away with individual limits. The reason MJ didn't leave the Bulls wasn't Pippen or the titles. It was that Chicago could offer 30 million for him. If Lebron could make 30 million in cleveland, do you think he would have left to make 1/3 the salary cap in Miami?

When you make it so every team can only offer the same, then of course the tie breaker for a player is going to be team desirability.

[High5]

I guess I'm one of the few people who had no problem with what LeBron did. He gave Cleveland 7 great years, including the greatest carry job in NBA history when he took them to the Finals. They were never able to surround him with championship worthy players and he went to play in a better situation. Nothing wrong with that.

[Joker]

You know what the best way to stop superteams from forming is?

Eliminate maximum salaries. Leave just a cap, but do away with individual limits. The reason MJ didn't leave the Bulls wasn't Pippen or the titles. It was that Chicago could offer 30 million for him. If Lebron could make 30 million in cleveland, do you think he would have left to make 1/3 the salary cap in Miami?

When you make it so every team can only offer the same, then of course the tie breaker for a player is going to be team desirability.

The NBA did that, KG got 200 mil, Marbury wanted 170 mil. It didn't work because the second tier like Starbury wanted to be paid like Shaq and KG. No system perfect because one player means too much in Basketball.

[Wretch]

I see your point on the Lakers but the Heat thing just didn't bother me much.

As for the Gasol trade, come on, a bunch of teams could have gave you a young talent and an expiring for Gasol. It's worked out as Marc is good but before that deal was an albatross.

I think their was some collusion but there was legit thoughts that Wade could go to Chicago and Bosh to LA or Cleveland. I agree that it looks pretty bad.

There is a lot of illegal and unfair crap in sports, I don't like it but players need to have to right to leave or else don't cut guys like Etan Thomas. What about them? It's only for guys like Lebron? That's my issue. You guys have no issues trading Smoove but have an issue with Lebron leaving. That's what I am talking about. You can stand proud and then want your team to trade someone. Keep everyone on this team together, it's fair. Joe didn't take less money, what's the issue?

I don't have a problem with LeBron leaving at all. AT ALL (I even stated the places I would have rather seen him sign). As a matter of fact, TBH, I was waiting for the day that he walked away from Cleveland.

I followed him from day one. His debut in Sacramento sent chills down my spine. Then Cleveland just tripped over themselves constantly trying to surround him with talent. Completely mismanaged that situation. All these dudes I talked to - they swore up and down "Oh Mo this" or "Oh Stackhouse" or "Oh, they got Ben." Every year I told them that Cleveland was mismanaging that rebuild...rushing it. Trying too hard to surround him with talent. I knew it was coming LONG ago. LeBron needed help. Real help (Joe Johnson help, IMO). Watching Cleveland screw that up was so aggravating - because LeBron is a special player. To see him in Miami is just a joke to me (and pretty much everyone else except Heat fans). So no. I'm not hating on the guy for leaving. Just the opposite. I expected it and was waiting on it. For the good of the NBA, which I am a huge fan of, a player like that deserves a competent team dedicated to putting a winner on the floor.

It's the way he left and how he slid in under Wade's arm. He should not have grandstanded like that on TV, but that's another story.

Players need the freedom to go where they want. But the game comes first. It's not good for the game when a handful of teams, in the biggest markets, to have free reign to tamper with players and manipulate the system. Good for Miami business. Good for LeBron, Wade, Bosh. Good for Miami fans. Bad for everyone else.

[BrazilianHawk]

I think what the Heat did is really bad, I thought what the Lakers did in that trade for Gasol was bad as well (MEM got lucky with Marc), but all this conversation about Cleveland getting screwed by LolBron and Boozer is BS. IMHO, Cleveland deserved that.

I believe the maneuvers they did to land Jamison last season were just as harmful to the league credibility as the other deals I have cited above. Trading away the Big Z and then just waiting for waivers to clear, signing him back on the cheap just a month after that trade... that was dirty as hell. Therefore I have no problem with LolBron and Boozer turning them down.

I think the Cavs are the most dishonest franchise in the NBA, I really hate them for that and I would like to see them screwed for the next decade or so. :line dance:

Edited February 8, 2011 by BrazilianHawk

[Johnnybravo4]

http://nba-point-forward.si.com/2011/02/07/knicks-inch-closer-to-landing-melo/

Maybe I'm a homer but you mean to tell me that Marvin, Jamal Crawford (expiring) and a pick in 2012 isn't better than Wilson Chandler, Corey Brewer and a first rounder?

Carmelo has to know that he won't be able to get a decent supporting cast with his and Amare's big contract. Not one that is as good as JJ, Smoove, Horford

[Joker]

http://nba-point-forward.si.com/2011/02/07/knicks-inch-closer-to-landing-melo/

Maybe I'm a homer but you mean to tell me that Marvin, Jamal Crawford (expiring) and a pick in 2012 isn't better than Wilson Chandler, Corey Brewer and a first rounder?

Carmelo has to know that he won't be able to get a decent supporting cast with his and Amare's big contract. Not one that is as good as JJ, Smoove, Horford

His agent said he's not resigning with no one but NY. That's where he wants to go. We have to move on from that.

[AHF]

You let him opted out of his rights because you agreed to a deal behind closed doors. That's great and all but the #1 rule in business that doesn't involves hit-man is you do everything in contract. If not, you can end up like Cleveland. That's not getting screwed, that's just being stupid. They should have waited like anyone else who had his rights. Paid him a lot more but at least they would have Boozer and Lebron together. I blame both because of Boozer's ethics and Cleveland's stupidity. Never renege rights and no one has done what Cleveland has done since. That should tell you that what Cleveland did, most think was really stupid.

I don't mind people calling Cleveland "stupid" for what they did but you have to acknowledge that Boozer screwed them over unless you understand that phrase to mean something different than I did.

Boozer lied to them; agreed to terms on a new deal with them; then suckered them into giving him his contractual out; and then blindsided them by signing with Utah. That is absolutely doing them wrong.

So you can say that Cleveland was stupid for exposing themselves like that but you can't argue that Boozer didn't take deceitful and unethical advantage of them which falls squarely within the definition of screwing someone over.

[AHF]

I think what the Heat did is really bad, I thought what the Lakers did in that trade for Gasol was bad as well (MEM got lucky with Marc), but all this conversation about Cleveland getting screwed by LolBron and Boozer is BS. IMHO, Cleveland deserved that.

I believe the maneuvers they did to land Jamison last season were just as harmful to the league credibility as the other deals I have cited above. Trading away the Big Z and then just waiting for waivers to clear, signing him back on the cheap just a month after that trade... that was dirty as hell. Therefore I have no problem with LolBron and Boozer turning them down.

I think the Cavs are the most dishonest franchise in the NBA, I really hate them for that and I would like to see them screwed for the next decade or so. :line dance:

i get that but the problem I have with that is the rule and less what they did. Cleveland did the same thing with Z that San Antonio did with Brent Barry, the Celtics did it with Gary Payton, the Timberwolves did it with Brian Cardinal, etc.

The rule stinks but why single out the Cavs as the "most dishonest team in the NBA" for doing something that other teams have done?

The loophole should be eliminated but the only times teams are stopped from doing this is when they are morons about it like the Mavericks & Stackhouse a few years ago:

"I get 30 days to rest, then I'll be right back,'' Stackhouse told The Associated Press on Wednesday in response to the proposed trade. "I ain't going nowhere."