NBA Chat With Jason Fleming 10/3/11

1. AJ - Australia

   HI Jason,
   If a player signs overseas does this effect his right to be involved in a anti-trust lawsuit should labour talks fail. I ask this because the basis of the unions suit under anti-trust would be that the right to earn a living has been compromised. But for those players who chose to sign overseas this is not the case, or is it based on jurisdiction of the case, i.e. A player can’t earn his cash in the USA/under US law so he is entitled to the claim.

   • Jason Fleming

     Let me preface this by there is no way in hell anyone should take legal advice from me, nor am I a remotely an expert in this field. That said…the players and the union have taken the stance whether or not a player signs overseas has no bearing on how they approach the lockout. In fact, they have encouraged it.

     Also, this would have no bearing on a player being involved in a lawsuit. Would it affect the ruling on such a lawsuit? It could, but again, that’s getting deep into labor law and subject to the interpretation of the coats, something I absolutely should not be consulted upon.

     There is one point I would like to make: Yes, each of these players who have signed overseas are undoubtedly able to earn a living playing basketball. However, they are coming nowhere close to earning the living they would in the U.S. Deron Williams isn’t getting $16.3 million this year. Kobe Bryant isn’t getting $25.2 million in any deal with Italy. Can they earn a living? Sure. Is it the same living? Not even close.

2. cj

   what would you think of LA, wesley, and batum for howard, bass, and reddick?

   • Jason Fleming

     This is intriguing. I rate Wesley Matthews and Nic Batum as better than Brandon Bass or J.J. Redick. Redick would be lucky to be the backup shooting guard in Portland, honestly. A lot would depend on the growth of Elliot Williams. Bass would, by default, become Portland’s starting power forward, and would be solid, but probably not irreplaceable. Portland would lose a backup small forward, which may not be a huge deal.

     But those are sweeteners, just something to entice the Magic to give up Dwight Howard. I don’t think Portland is well equipped to add in Howard and be successful. Redick, for one, is a good three-point shooter, but for a team with Howard in the middle to be successful they need to surround him with shooters, and Portland can’t do that. Gerald Wallace is just okay, Brandon Roy is just okay, Raymond Felton is barely okay.

     It’s an interesting idea, but Portland would have to say no, because the roster would need a ton more work in order to make it worthwhile.

3. Lee

   If there’s an amnesty clause, Renaldo Balkman should get the axe. He is awful. I can’t believed he secured a guaranteed NBA deal. You’re thoughts?

   • Jason Fleming

     Balkman makes $1.675 million per for the next two years. Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t expect a whole lot for that price.

     However, there is a great case to be made, regardless of talent, that Balkman should be used: it clears up another $1.675 million on the Knicks’ 2012-13 cap figure. They have $43.6 million in commitments right now (plus Iman Shumpert), so in order to truly be in the running for a Chris Paul or a Deron Williams, they need to clear more space. Using an amnesty clause on Balkman would help. Adding a superstar point guard is still not horribly likely, but it gets them closer.

4. AJ

   I don’t understand why the hard cap is such a big deal for either side. Owners will be paying the same amount and players will be receiving the same amount anyway. Maybe for some small-market owners, but it doesn’t seem like that should be the sticking point. Also, why cut the bi-annual exception? It is for two years at $2 mil, that’s not going to kill the owners profits.

   • Jason Fleming

     A hard cap means no exceptions at all. Think of it this way: Say the hard cap is set at $60 million. Each team can choose to spend that $60 million however they like (let’s assume salaries still have maxes and first-round picks still have scale deals). By definition an exception of any kind is an exception to $60 million. “Oops, I spent my $60 million on 11 guys, let me spend $2 million more on this other guy.” How is that fair to the team who adhered to the rules and bought 14 players for $60 million? If you allow it, that’s not a hard cap – that’s a soft cap, just like the one in the previous CBA. If you want to keep the exceptions – and the players do, because over 200 of them made $2 million or less last season (I think that’s the number I saw) – you can’t have a hard cap.

5. Peter

   Hey Jason! Which team do you think will Dwight go to? He obviously wants to go to a big market (LA or NY) but they don’t have the cap space to sign him. With Yao off the books, would Houston be a viable option?

   • Jason Fleming

     Houston won’t be in the running without serious changes in their commitments. They have about $8 million in cap space this summer (based on last year’s cap figure) and perhaps $9 million next year (not including draft picks).

     I still think Dwight will stay in Orlando, that’s his first choice. I’m not convinced he needs to be in a big market, nor am I convinced he thinks he needs to be in a big market. But…if he really wants to be in L.A., sign with the Clippers. They only have $24.4 million committed in 2012-13 (plus an Eric Gordon extension) and he could team with Blake Griffin and Gordon. That’s a nice team.

6. tony

   Alright do u think a deal gets done or is it going to hit the fan in the next few days? Personal opinion?

   • Jason Fleming

     My personal opinion is the sides are still too far apart and a deal will not get done, and games will be missed. How many games? I’d be surprised to see any in 2011.

7. john Rizzo

   so what if this letter by the agents is just theatre- an attempt to extract slightly better offer from the owners and give fisher the space to cut the inevitable bad deal?

   • Jason Fleming

     I read the letter and I thought to myself, “And?” It’s basically exhorting the players to get involved in the process and not to accept the provisions of a hard cap – which has been the union’s stance all along. Interestingly enough, it could be construed as a call for keeping one voice, a “Stay Strong” kind of message.

     Of course, one thing to keep in mind is agents will make less money is players make less money. It’s in their best interest, just like at the negotiating table, to get the best deal possible for their client. It just so happens that in this instance their clients happen to be the majority of the NBA.

8. tony

   Are the jazz guaranteed lottery bound for a couple of years? I think they have a promising future but not there yet?

   • Jason Fleming

     I think for one more year, and after that it depends on if the young guys – Gordon Hayward, Enes Kanter, Alec Burks – develop, and what they do when the contract of Memo Okur expires after this season. After next season Devin Harris, Al Jefferson, and Paul Millsap all are set to expire. Right now the Jazz seem like they lack some direction, too. Two years from now this roster could look completely different.