Team payrolls.. Portland, New York are really in trouble

[dude1394]

1. Portland Trail Blazers $96,759,414
2. New York Knicks $75,509,360
3. Sacramento Kings $68,793,020
4. Dallas Mavericks $63,377,035
5. Los Angeles Lakers $61,504,357
6. Memphis Grizzlies $56,114,676
7. New Jersey Nets $54,851,983
8. Phoenix Suns $54,415,536
9. Philadelphia 76ers $53,564,055
10. Miami Heat $53,330,983
11. Atlanta Hawks $53,187,711
12. Milwaukee Bucks $53,128,541
13. Indiana Pacers $52,751,089
14. Boston Celtics $52,232,326
15. Toronto Raptors $51,335,814
16. Seattle SuperSonics $51,318,046
17. Minnesota Timberwolves $50,863,235
18. San Antonio Spurs $47,337,235
19. Golden State Warriors $46,458,272
20. Denver Nuggets $44,476,500
21. Cleveland Cavaliers $44,079,990
22. New Orleans Hornets $43,641,334
23. Orlando Magic $41,901,888
24. Houston Rockets $41,534,810
25. Utah Jazz $41,281,615
26. Chicago Bulls $41,130,915
27. Detroit Pistons $39,663,395
28. Washington Wizards $34,662,416
29. Los Angeles Clippers $22,490,074

Looks like dallas will be over the luxury tax as well, Nick and Tariq are definitely trouble. Najera and Wang are not signed yet either.

[FilthyFinMavs]

Lol forget the Portland and Knicks look how high Grizzlies are. Who on there team is gettin paid a grip? I find it hard to believe that Mavs have only 7 more mill of a payroll then Grizzlies. Portland will make the playoffs but your right Knicks are definaetly in troble. You gotta love the Clippers pay roll and there team is what baotu 8 players deep on who can start?

[pepperfletch]

Yea, but the Clips are just in a good cycle right now as far as having a bunch of young under paid talent. They will explode into nothingness when everyone leaves in order to get paid what they are worth in the league.

[Nellie]

I don't understand Sterling. How can a man who is in one of the most competitive bussinesses in the entire planet continue to be ok with letting good players go just because he doesn't want to pay them? It doesn't make sense because you will never make the type of money you could with a competitive team. Low overhead keeps costs down but also the profits. If you raise the overhead, you most likely will raise the profits, even in LA when you are second to the Lakers. It's a complete insult to somebody like myself who can only dream of being in his position. Any of us could step into Sterling's position and give the Clippers more of a fighting chance than he ever would.

[slowmo]

Sterling should be boycotted by his teams fans! He happens to have a really nice team now but only through drafts and trades. He has not resigned anyone to long term contracts so far that I know. The big test is going on right now with Olowakandi. Will Sterling pay him? History tells us no. All the other teams have not tried to make him an offer as that will set the threshold for his salary. All they have to do is match it. Candi man would be right in demanding a trade or refuse any contract that lowballs him. Sterling will then make him unrestricted and the Mav's (and everyone else in the League) will jump at him with open arms. Then comes Elton Brand next summer etc. All we have to do is sit tight and wait for Sterling to choke on another contract and then pick up the pieces. Thanks for being so cheep Sterling!

[Drbio]

Sterling should pay Kandi. Either that or trade him out quickly.

[Just211]

If I was Sterling, I'd trade Kandi and Richardson to the Mavs for Bradley and AJ. But that's just me

[Nash13]

Michael Jordan is so smart. By this time next year, i predict either Jason Kidd and/or Tim Duncan will be on the Wizards.

[Lvubun1]

Here is a article on Sterling's cheapness.

Brand, Olowokandi getting restless

It's one month into the NBA free-agent signing period and is anyone surprised that Clippers owner Donald Sterling has yet to open his wallet?

Sure, he did finally give rookie Chris Wilcox his rookie deal. And, the team gave Marko Jaric a three-year, $6 million contract. But that's chump change. Or, should we say, Sterling change.

Restricted free agent Michael Olowokandi is looking for the max, or close to it.

"Michael Olowokandi won't play for less than Mike Bibby," agent Bill Duffy told Insider. Bibby just signed a seven-year, $80 million contract with the Kings. Duffy calls that contract a "baseline" for negotiations with the Clippers. However, the two sides haven't spoken in several weeks.

If Duffy doesn't get his way, Olowokandi will likely just accept the team's one-year tender and become an unrestricted free agent next summer. If that was the only worry of the Clippers, everything would be just fine.

But the team has four other players, Elton Brand, Andre Miller, Lamar Odom and Corey Maggette, who are all eligible for extensions this summer. You can make a case that it's in everyone's best interest for Odom and Maggette to wait a year and play the free-agent market. Odom is coming off an injury and suspension-plagued season and really needs to re-establish his worth with the team. Maggette filled in admirably at times for Odom last season, but he's still a work in progress. Miller and the Clippers have also reached an understanding that they'll wait to talk extension until next summer.

Brand, on the other hand, is the real thing. And it looks like he's getting tired of waiting around. "I can't help but see guys like BD [Baron Davis] and Shawn Marion, talented players, signing for the max and things like that," Brand told the L.A. Times.

Brand tries to keep his thoughts positive, but the Clippers' track record for stiffing their players has a long history. "I try not to allow [it], but it's what happened in the past," Brand said. "It doesn't seem like anybody's signed yet. We have to wait and see what happens. It's the waiting period."

Brand and Olowokandi aren't the only ones waiting. Rookie Melvin Ely, the No. 12 pick in the draft also hasn't signed his rookie contract with the Clippers.

[nowitzki_prophecy]

to think the knicks players get so much money to be boring.
if ppl want i can video tape myself painting,i'll b happy to get some cool mils.