NBA Salary Cap Chat With Larry Coon 10/26/12

1. Deven

   Would the Lakers really consider Lebron James in 2014? And would Lebron even consider playing in LAL with Dwight?

   • Larry Coon

     You’re asking me whether the Lakers would consider the top player in the league, the Finals MVP for the current NBA champs, and reigning league MVP? (Not to mention 9.99 in NBArank…) Yeah, they’d have to mull it over….

     As for whether he’d consider moving on to LA, you’d have to think he’d at least give it some thought. Wade will be 32 at the time, and a roster that is stripped-down and rebuilt around James and Dwight could be potent for years to come.

2. Deven

   Even with Stephen Curry’s ankle problems, should GSW extend before October 31?

   • Larry Coon

     I think they will. Whether they will eventually come to regret their decision is another matter.

3. Deven

   Which nightmare is next on the list, now that the MeloDrama and the Dwightmare is in the past?

   • Larry Coon

     I think a much bigger question than who it will be is what do we call it — Linsanity, Dwightmare and MeloDrama are tough acts to follow. If — just to pick a name at random — Deron Williams has a PR calamity, do we have a catchy name for it?

4. Deven

   What’s the date when some players, who sign contracts during the offseason, will be eligible to be traded?

   • Larry Coon

     it’s three months after signing or December 15, whichever is later. So anyone who signed before September 15 can be traded on December 15, and anyone who signed after September 15 can be traded on the three-month anniversary of the signing.

5. Deven

   Since you live in California, which games do you see more of: Lakers or Clippers?

   • Larry Coon

     I tend to go to more Laker games than Clipper games, but which games I attend is largely based on my schedule.

     As for watching games on TV, since I can’t watch Laker games on TV right now, the Clips win by default.

6. Deven

   Which free agent class was better: 2010 or 2012?

   • Larry Coon

     2010, easily.

7. Deven

   Why does everyone love Adam Silver over David Stern? At the draft, Stern gets booed every time he comes out. When Silver comes out, he gets a loud ovation. What’s the deal?

   • Larry Coon

     The buck stops with the Commissioner. So every wrong, whether it’s a real issue or it only exists in the mind of the perceiver, is hung on him.

8. LA in LA

   I hear that under the new CBA that players with contract between $9-12 million are less desirable. Why so?

   • Larry Coon

     I think you’re really asking about player value assessment under the league’s new economy. It depends on the player — LeBron James would be MUCH more desirable at $9-$12 million.

     But the point is that teams will no longer be able to afford loaded rosters, and must pick and choose to whom they give big-money contracts. Once they do that, they can’t afford to give a lot of money to complementary players. A $9-$12 million contract for a role player will be anathema.

9. Jim in Cyber Space

   Who is currently the best Coach in the NBA, Popovich? Either Van Gundy might be able to give him a run if they were coaching..Adelman, River’s?

   I don’t think Spoelstra is in the Conversation. Maybe Riley as “GM”? He all but coached the team.

   I’m staying with POP

   • Larry Coon

     Me too. I just answered a poll for ESPN.com and Pop was my choice. Also look at the GM surveys — a) The best head coach: Pop; b) The best manager/motivator: Pop; c) The best in-game adjustments: Pop; d) The best offense: Karl, with Pop tied for second; e) The best defensive schemes: Thibodeau, with Pop tied for second.

10. Paul

    Hi, Why hasn’t anyone written an article about the almighty Lakers being the worst ten in this preseason. Its not like THEIR FOUR STARS didn’t any minutes.

    • Larry Coon

      I think there’s been a LOT written about it, and most of the pieces sum it up correctly — it’s the preseason. They’re adjusting to each other, they’re adjusting to a new system, and they’re only running a small percentage of the Princeton thus far. Mike Brown is giving minutes to deep bench players so he can see what they can do. Other very good teams have had similar preseasons to the Lakers this year — so relax.

11. Brian Fauble

    Hoopsype and Hoopsworld wrote that Stern wants a team in Seattle again before he leaves in 2014 and that they are pressuring the Maloofs to sell. Do you think the NBA would rather they sell to Henson and get moved to Seattle OR sell to Burkle, who has stated he wants to buy the Kings and keep them in Sacramento? I am a long time Kings season ticket holder and don’t see how the NBA could approve a sale to an owner that would move the team when another buyer wants to keep them in their current city. Just wanted to hear your thoughts, thank you.

    • Larry Coon

      I think the league’s default position is always to keep the team in its current city. It was one of the factors in taking over the Hornets, for example — Shinn was about to default on loans and needed to sell right away, but the only buyers at the time wanted to move the franchise. But while that’s the league’s default position, they’re certainly not intransigent about it. If the right deal for the Kings involved a relocation to Seattle, the league would probably take it over a less-than-optimal deal that keeps them in Sacramento.

12. Park Barkley

    Who says no to a Steve Blake for Raja Bell deal?
    Can you think of any deal where the Lakers could send out Blake for an expiring contract?
    If dumping one year of Walton was worth a first round pick, how many #1s is dumping Blake with the super tax worth (he’ll cost about $20 mil next year right?)?

    • Larry Coon

      I don’t think the Lakers have any interest in Raja Bell at this point in his career. But you’re correct to bring up the financial aspect — Blake is signed through next season at $4 million per year, so his contract will be a factor in the new, progressive luxury tax the team will have to pay. I don’t think they’re at the point yet of making a bad basketball trade for financial reasons, but they could unload some 2013-14 salary close to the trade deadline.

13. Andre

    What non-traditional contract terms can OKC add to Harden’s extension to make it more appealing to him if its not a max offer?

    • Larry Coon

      Not all that much. They can advance salary in the form of a signing bonus or accelerated payment terms, but a signing bonus takes away from the total value of the contract, and the ability to pre-pay salary is now more limited than ever. They can’t do a no-trade clause. They can add a trade kicker, but those are of limited value as well — he has to be traded to get it, and if he’s close to the max he may not receive it.

14. Eric

    Do you think the Lakers will consider picking up Delonte West once he is realsed form the Mavs? they had interest before and PG is still the weakest position on their bench.

    • Larry Coon

      I think they stand pat unless they end up moving either Chris Duhon or Steve Blake. They have too many bodies at that position, and a very expensive roster.

15. Jamie

    Whats your favourite kind of ice cream

    • Larry Coon

      Spent some time in Portland this summer, and everyone there was nuts about salted caramel. I can see why.

16. Sean

    Hey Larry, do you think the Mavs will make the playoffs?

    • Larry Coon

      I had them seventh (44 wins) before the preseason. Of course, Dirk’s injury changes that — they could easily fall into the lottery.

17. Ben

    Any thoughts on David Stern’s legacy?

    • Larry Coon

      I shared some of them HERE.

18. Trevor

    Manu Ginobili comes off the books this summer. What do you think the salary range on his next contract is and how much of a discount could you see the Spurs getting?

    • Larry Coon

      He’s 35 and doesn’t have a lot of time left. The trend with these kinds of players lately has been troward much lower salaries. Plus Duncan already took a big financial hit to stay with the Spurs, and it’d be hard for Manu to justify continuing to make a lot more than Duncan. Well below $10 million, I’d guess.

19. Matt

    Larry, if you were the GM of the Thunder, would you keep Harden at the max or dish him for a cheaper SG and backups (say, Portland’s Matthews and Freeland)?

    • Larry Coon

      That’s a big, far-reaching question to answer. If the finances don’t enter into it, then it’s a no-brainer — I keep Harden. But the finances DO enter into it, and it’s not an easy answer. I look for a way to keep Harden while retaining financial viability, the ability to keep a competitive bench, and long-term sustainability.

20. Chris

    I personally have no problem with free agents going wherever they want. That said, if the league is truly interested in a distribution of talent throughout the league, in a manner that would help teams with less free-agent appeal, has anyone considered using a tier-based salary system: Each team has 2 high paying slots (say $20m each), several mid-paying slots (say 3 slots at $8m), then the rest would be minimum paying slots (7 slots at $2.5m), with each slot being a fixed amount for every team. If you think of it as positions in a corporation, it makes sense. It could also create an interesting competition among the top level players to earn one of the top paying slots on a team, as well as knock down some of the myth/past-performance based salaries some players enjoy, as well as dissolve the salary cap/tax issue.
    Thoughts?

    • Larry Coon

      It’s a basic concept the sides looked at, and the players flatly turned down.

21. Chris

    If Kobe decides to continue playing beyond the end of his current deal, how do you see the Lakers proceeding? He’s past his prime already, doesn’t really help the vibe of the locker room. That said, he’s immensely popular with their fanbase, so much so that the team seems forced, in a way, to dance around some if his current delusional behavior. what do you think?

    • Larry Coon

      I disagree with a lot of your assertions — while he may be past his personal prime, that doesn’t mean he isn’t still a very effective NBA player and won’t be in 2014. I think he DOES help the vibe in the locker room, and I don’t know what delusions you’re referring to.