Quote:
Originally Posted by Underdog
Bingo...
Dirk was 100% willing to take another paycut this season if the Mavs could land sizable FA -- they didn't, so he basically signed a 1-year contract, allowing the FO to try again next season... The $25m/year was decided upon because that's how much cap space was left, and it came against a $94m cap... This deal allowed the Mavericks maximum flexibility moving forward.
Kobe, on the other hand, demanded a 4-year max contract because (according to him) he was "the best player in the world," even though his numbers indicated otherwise... The $25m/year was decided upon because that's the most money he could possibly get, and it came against a $58m cap... This deal hamstrung the Lakers for the rest of his career.
Anybody who doesn't understand the difference between these two situations has absolutely no business talking about NBA contracts.
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I get your point (except for the last line) and agree with it. But I'm playing Devil's Advocate here and justifying Kobe's contract. He did win 5 championships over a 10 year span. His name alone brought in millions of revenue especially in China. And honestly, the Lakers were not going to win a championship anyway regardless of the money Kobe did or did not accept. Their roster was pretty much done and the dynasty was over after the Mavericks swept them in 2011.
I get your point and agree with it ... except for the last line. If you are not willing to look at situations from all angles, then you are extremely close minded.
Personally, I have no problem with players getting as much money as possible. If my boss were to come to me and say "We are going to add more high performing people to the team, but you need to take 40% paycut." Well, I wouldn't do it. I know it's apples and oranges but still ... there is an argument/debate there. Kobe won 5 championships in 10 years. How much money did he bring to the Laker franchise over his 20 year career? Anyway, I don't want to get into a long draw out debat ... Dirk is flat out amazing. Period.