Jordan: "Knee Deep into Negotiatins"

[Implied Volatility]

MJ will be sadden when he finds out Nick Young is no longer wearing his shoes... lol. These guys are delusional. MJ is no longer a player, he is the owner of a small market NBA team. So why would MJ be behind the players, Paul George? Your bum ass made over $2 million last season. I'm sure MJ would laugh at the thought of you being worth that much money. And who is this Klay Thompson kid? He should have kept his ass in college...

[carpanfan96]

MJ knows what the NBA needs to be successful and he's making sure it happens. It needs a firmer salary structure, the players need to make less money from top to bottom and the contracts don't need to be guaranteed.

[FugginPoo]

The Players are idiots with entitlement mentalities.

[dpm0409]

The Players are idiots with entitlement mentalities.

And plus, you know the players are not 100% unified like they keep insisting they are. That's already been soiled by various players tweets. Any player that's currently employed by a "small market team" should agree with what MJ is saying. I'm sure not all of them care about winning tho, most probably just want $$$.

[King Taharqa]

Why just MJ though, aren't all the owners on the same page? (idk, just asking)

No they are not. There is turmoil between big market and small market ownership groups that the media wont report due to their relationship with the league and the fact fans tend to side with and see thru the eyes of the owners rather than the players. By locking out the players the owners have helped ruin their product and have sidetracked the issue which is bad management decisions are prevelant in this league. Jordan dissassembling a playoff team, trading away his best players, and striking out in the draft has as much to do with where the Bobcats are than the "system" these same owners signed off on in 99. Reducing player income potential wont mean much if players take paycuts to play where they want (a la Miami Heat). The league will still be dominated by 4 or 5 teams like its always been.

[Dpantherman]

No they are not. There is turmoil between big market and small market ownership groups that the media wont report due to their relationship with the league and the fact fans tend to side with and see thru the eyes of the owners rather than the players. By locking out the players the owners have helped ruin their product and have sidetracked the issue which is bad management decisions are prevelant in this league. Jordan dissassembling a playoff team, trading away his best players, and striking out in the draft has as much to do with where the Bobcats are than the "system" these same owners signed off on in 99. Reducing player income potential wont mean much if players take paycuts to play where they want (a la Miami Heat). The league will still be dominated by 4 or 5 teams like its always been.

Well to me, if he took any other stance, I don't think it would show the commitment to the team (since we are one of the smallest markets.) Its just so frustrating trying to root for a team that you know has no shot of being competitive. Idk man...I'm far from an expert on this.

[carpanfan96]

No they are not. There is turmoil between big market and small market ownership groups that the media wont report due to their relationship with the league and the fact fans tend to side with and see thru the eyes of the owners rather than the players. By locking out the players the owners have helped ruin their product and have sidetracked the issue which is bad management decisions are prevelant in this league. Jordan dissassembling a playoff team, trading away his best players, and striking out in the draft has as much to do with where the Bobcats are than the "system" these same owners signed off on in 99. Reducing player income potential wont mean much if players take paycuts to play where they want (a la Miami Heat). The league will still be dominated by 4 or 5 teams like its always been.

MJ had to blow up the Bobcats, they weren't going anywhere but down. In the process he's shed payroll and acquired draft picks. Management is always going to make mistakes, they're human. It happens it all sports, in the NBA when it happens it kills a team completely for a average contract because the league has been driven up by automatic pay increases and a MLE that is way to high.

The MLE is for average to below average talent and they make 5 million a season. That's ridiculous and needs to be changed.

[theyhateme45]

Well to me, if he took any other stance, I don't think it would show the commitment to the team (since we are one of the smallest markets.) Its just so frustrating trying to root for a team that you know has no shot of being competitive. Idk man...I'm far from an expert on this.

Cleveland was competitive and went to the finals... San Antonio has been competitive and won titles... OKC is young and competitive, Back in Jordan days Utah and Indiana were competitive franchises...The trailblazers and Kings had their times... To say just because you are in a smaller market you have no chance at being competitve is not the truth....

The big thing was owners lossing $$$... while some were making big profits the NBPA has come down drastically from what they were making... with a 50% split and better revenue sharing among owners there is no reason teams can not be profitbable...

Also, call it what you want, but MJ is being hypocritical...

http://eye-on-basketball.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/22748484/33129080

The charges of hypocrisy stem from the fact that Jordan was a major advocate for NBA players' rights during his playing days. During the 1998 labor negotiations, for example, Jordan famously told then-Washington Wizards owner Abe Pollin: "If you can't make a profit, you should sell your team."

The players have moved more than enough to do their part to compromise and help ensure profits...

Also there is a good chance Jordan's stance may effect our team in the future. Players and agents do tend to hold grudges in the NBA, where they have a bigger freedom of choice over where they play so this will not help Charlotte become an attractive place for FA's... It can only hurt.

http://www.waitingfornextyear.com/2011/11/angry-agents-proving-the-point-for-hardline-owners/

“I don’t want any of my clients playing for Michael Jordan, Paul Allen, Robert Sarver, Dan Gilbert or Peter Holt,” said one agent. “We won’t sign with them, unless they’re willing to really overpay. That’s going to be the only way these hardline owners are going to land any free agents after the way they’ve handled these negotiations.”

At the end of the day as I said before... people clamor for parity.... but truth is there is not enough star talent in the NBA to be a parity league... if you do spread talent out you get mediocre teams, boring story lines, and games people do not want to watch. There is a reason last year was one of the most successful Seasons...

Also look back at the stacked teams in history... Celtics, lakers, pistons, knicks, bulls ect.... there was a lot of garbage teams those years... same teams matching up year after year... same teams sucking year after year... and no one complained... People can named the starting five of those great historic teams.... Now imagine if all of those teams only had 1 star with a bunch of blah players surrounding them.... not so fun... exactly my point.

[carpanfan96]

The teams who do not want the deal (50-50 BRI) and want to cancel the season to get the strictest deal possible are Washington, Denver, Charlotte, Milwaukee, Indiana, Minnesota, Portland, Oklahoma City, Memphis, Sacramento, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Utah.

A deal should be close, the NBPA has agreed to a 50-50 split of BRI for the owners to make a couple of concessions on system issues.

[ckad79]

Cleveland was competitive and went to the finals... San Antonio has been competitive and won titles... OKC is young and competitive, Back in Jordan days Utah and Indiana were competitive franchises...The trailblazers and Kings had their times... To say just because you are in a smaller market you have no chance at being competitve is not the truth....

Notice all of the cities you mention, only San Antonio and OKC remain completive. Portland, somewhat. Thing is, a lot of it has to do with the local sports dollar and how much there is to share. Fact is, the Spurs it the ONLY pro sport getting the local sports dollar in San Antonio. The same can be said for the Trailblazers and Portland, or the Thunder and OKC. Once the Colts became a hit in Indianapolis, the Pacers suffered finically.

Charlotte as a pro market had money without the Panthers in town. Remember, when Shinn gave LJ that $70 million dollar contract which broke all sorts of records back then?

It can be done.

I also understand what people mean when they say, drafting bad hurts us and at some point Jordan has to blame himself for mistakes like Adam Morrison. Then again, on a separate note, I do think a handful of people would have complained about a black owner passing on a successful white player. I think his decision had a lot to do with possible racial tension in a southern city. Yet, that argument is neither here nor there and besides the point.

I will just say that, in order to compete you need to be able to sign guys. OKC , as a small market, did luck out and kept Durant, when he could have made more money with the Clippers or Knicks. On the other hand, most rookies play through their rookie contract and then skip town for more cash than the small market owners can handle.

All I know is, there has been a major shift in power with the NBA and all of the attention and money is focused on a handful of teams. Since the NBA doesn't really have a well run development program, like baseball has their minor league system run by each team, they need a way to keep certain organizations constantly competitive. It makes for a better product too.

[theyhateme45]

All I know is, there has been a major shift in power with the NBA and all of the attention and money is focused on a handful of teams. Since the NBA doesn't really have a well run development program, like baseball has their minor league system run by each team, they need a way to keep certain organizations constantly competitive. It makes for a better product too.

When has it made for a better product? The NBA as always been like this! Seriously, go back to the 90's, 80's and you will see that there were certain teams stinking it up year after year.... While teams in LA, Chicago, NY, Boston were consistent teams...

You had teams with 3 or 4 hall of fame players on the same team! And those are the teams we look back and celebrate.... As i said before spread those hall of famers out to different teams, surround them by mediocre talent and now we don't care as much.... The NBA is better when we have these teams everyone wants to watch! As I mentioned before the Big 3 in boston is the best example of this.... alone on their teams... no one cared... together in Boston was must see tv.

Is it harder for smaller market teams to compete.... sure. But it's not impossible. You draft a star, then surround them with good talent, have a good ownership and people will come play for you.

THis idea that players leave after their rookie contract is untrue.... Lebron, Wade, and Bosh all put years in at their previous squad.... same amount if time Durant is signed to OKC.... Melo, Carmelo, Howard, Kobe, Garnett, Allen.... all these players played at their teams for extended time past their rookie contracts before they moved on.

[Murph]

Jordan's hard line stance may be working. Negotiations are improving (although still very shaky) and the players are now amenable to a 50-50 split as long as other aspects of the old CBA can stay in place.

[theyhateme45]

Jordan's hard line stance may be working. Negotiations are improving (although still very shaky) and the players are now amenable to a 50-50 split as long as other aspects of the old CBA can stay in place.

The problem is Jordan and other hardline owners do not want the 50/50 split.... they want 47/53 at most... The good thing is stern only need a 16-14 vote from the owners to pass a deal... Word is that it would be a very close vote. Also Jordan is leading the owners who don't want to give concessions on the other aspects as the CBA.... essentially they have said they want both, it's not an either are... They want the $$$ and a new system that evens the playing field.... So they want every thing the way they want it, but I think it's only about 9 of them which is not enough to stop a deal.

[carpanfan96]

The problem is Jordan and other hardline owners do not want the 50/50 split.... they want 47/53 at most... The good thing is stern only need a 16-14 vote from the owners to pass a deal... Word is that it would be a very close vote. Also Jordan is leading the owners who don't want to give concessions on the other aspects as the CBA.... essentially they have said they want both, it's not an either are... They want the $$$ and a new system that evens the playing field.... So they want every thing the way they want it, but I think it's only about 9 of them which is not enough to stop a deal.

It's 13-15 teams that are in the hard line stance, I listed the main 13 earlier in this thread. Pretty much all the small market teams are in on this one. Vote right now would be 17-13 or 16-14, enough to pass.

List of teams.

Washington, Denver, Charlotte, Milwaukee, Indiana, Minnesota, Portland, Oklahoma City, Memphis, Sacramento, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Utah.