Sometime in the future, the NBA will resume operations. Whether that time comes very soon or much later is another matter. The only thing that anyone can do in the mean time is speculate. So while we wait, there are some things can do. We could watch some baseball. Or maybe watch the women's soccer team go for the gold. But if you're looking for just basketball, there's always the WNBA heaven forbid. Those things and many others will have to do until the lockout gets figured out.
The lockout for all we know has many details. One of those issues that I want to touch on is the salary cap. We all know that there are some owners who want a hard cap, while others still feel that the cap should remain the way it is. As usual, there are teams who are making claims that they are losing money. Until there is proof of such, we'll just have to see how this all plays out.
For the 30 franchises in the 28 media markets, they better hope that no regular season games are missed or there will be hell to pay. The last thing that the owners need is a loss of revenue. Just ask the MLB and NHL executives how long it took to recover. Or maybe the investors should learn from the last players strike that happened over a decade ago.
All anyone knows is that every labor strike in the history of America has been about the division of assets. The real question is what percentage is considered a fair deal. As times change, so does the value of the employee. That's always been and always will be the issue.
That goes for anyone running a team. To win championships on a consistent basis, you need to have these 3 things; players who can coexist, coaches and personnel who can devise a strategy that fits the players abilities, and of course owners who pay a fair value. In due time, your favorite team will be a dynasty. So let me ask you this, "What is the true value of a player?" Yes, that is the question we must all answer.
Disclaimer: If you're a Knicks fan, you probably don't want to read the next several paragraphs. Either you don't want to be reminded of the last decade again or you already know all the stats that it would be redundant. But since you've come this far, you might as well read on. Just don't feel obliged.
You have to ask yourself, how could you do any worst than Scott Layden? He was the executive who helped build the Jazz into a postseason threat during his time there. At least the guy could prove that he could make the right moves. Sadly, it never worked out for him in NYC. But to answer the question, you could do worst by hiring Isiah Thomas.
As any casual sports fan can tell you, Thomas is one of the best point guards in NBA history. His success from winning a national championship for the Indiana Hoosiers was no fluke. In his 13 seasons with the Pistons, he made 3 NBA Finals appearances and brought the Motor City's first two titles in professional basketball. For that, he became a 1st ballot hall of famer in 2000. However, success as a player doesn't translate as an executive. Or even as a coach.
After Thomas retired as a player in 1994, he would become the first executive vice president for the expansion Toronto Raptors. When the Raptors began play in 1995 until he left on November 22, 1997, they were 52-123 (.292). He did draft the team's 1st ever Rookie of the Year in Damon Stoudamire along with Marcus Camby and Tracy McGrady.
And then came the ownership of the Continental Basketball Association from 1998-2000. The league went into bankruptcy which would lead Thomas to his next stop, Indianapolis. When Larry Bird left, Zeke took the coaching reigns. While Bird coached the Pacers to their first and only NBA Finals (2000), Thomas pretty much kept the ball going. Despite 3 underperforming playoff appearances, the Pacers would be 131-115 (.533) under Thomas. All of those instances would lead to James Dolan and his decision.
On December 22, 2003, the 10-18 New York Knicks would hire Thomas to be their president of basketball operations. Sure it all started well when they finished the season 29-25 and made the playoffs. But as history will tell you, it didn't end well. They had two coaching legends in Lenny Wilkens and Larry Brown, and still couldn't produce results. In 2006, Dolan issued an ultimatum, show improvement or kiss your job goodbye. While Thomas helped improve the team's win total by 10 games, the next season they dropped back to Brown's win total in his only season (23). In April of 2008, Thomas was not retained and he would no longer be a physical presence in the front office or the sidelines.
But Thomas' impact on the team would linger for some time. Sometimes it looked like he made some great acquisitions with Vin Baker, Jalen Rose, Steve Francis, Maurice Taylor , Penny Hardaway just to name a few, these guys were in the twilight of their careers and would be trade pieces or ended up being released. Besides some of them didn't last more than 2 1/2 seasons, but still a major impact on the Knicks' salary cap. What I am focusing on are the 4 players who he brought on that ironically put the NBA in its present state today.
January 5, 2004 the Knicks worked a trade to deliver Coney Island legend Stephon Marbury from the Suns for Antonio McDyess and some other players. Marbury played 536 games (missing only 6 starts) averaging 20.5 points, 8.2 assists, 3.2 turnovers and 1.3 steals a game for the Timberwolves, Nets and Suns. Which prompted Suns management before the beginning 2003-04 season to sign Marbury to a 4 year $76.8 million extension. All signs looked great as the Knicks showed improvement.
Here's the thing that Thomas didn't take into consideration. There was a reason why Marbury was getting traded every 2 or 3 years. He wanted to be the star. Nothing wrong with that attitude, but when you have trust issues, that's when problems happen. The season after Marbury was traded from Minnesota, the Wolves went 50-32 (.610) compared to the 89-78 (.533) during his 2+ seasons he was there. Let's not forget his time in East Rutherford. Despite having his best season in 2000-01 where he averaged 23.9 points, 7.6 assists and 3.2 rebounds a game, the Nets never won more than 31 games. After he was swapped to the Suns for Jason Kidd, the Nets made it to the finals in back to back seasons. His stay in Phoenix was kind of the same except they did make the playoffs in what would be his final full season for them in 2002-03.
But his longing for the Knicks along with the Suns losing made Marbury a pest to management. Zeke eyeing an opportunity to bring a big name to the team, acquired the disgruntled player. Again the Suns improved and the team with Marbury suffered. During the longest stint of his career with one team, Marbury averaged 18.2 points, 7 assists, 2.7 turnovers and 1.2 steals in 287 games. Thomas must've thought that Marbury's homecoming season where he finished with 19.8 points per game and had a 3:1 turnover would be a good sign. However, this was a sign that the worst was coming for both these guys.
Let's start with August 2, 2005, one of the worst days to be a New York Knick. Jerome James had a career year in the 2005 playoffs averaging 12.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 11 games. Despite posting a 5.1 point, 2.1 rebound and 1.3 block average in 252 games for Seattle, James helped get himself a lucrative deal. And thanks to Zeke, he got his payday with a 5 year $29 million deal. James would average 3.1 points and 2.1 rebounds in his first season.
Sadly, he was not any more productive. James' averaged 2.5 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.6 blocks during his 89 games. What's sad is that when Thomas became the coach, he was a benchwarmer and with Mike D'Antoni, he was nowhere to be found.
The sign and trade of Eddy Curry later on would be an insurance policy. Curry was part of the baby Bulls era where he and Tyson Chandler were going to be the next Twin Towers of the NBA. Curry turned out to be an underachiever throughout his time in Chicago. He averaged 11.8 points, 0.9 blocks and 4.9 rebounds in 289 games. While it looked like Curry was making a turnaround in 2004-05 season averaging 16.1 points and 5.4 rebounds a game, something bad happened. It turned out that he had heart issues. The Bulls wanted him to get a DNA test to see if his condition was congenital, but Curry refused. Did that stop Thomas...NOOOO!!!
Curry who felt like he was going to get screwed by management decided to give the Knicks a chance. So they arranged an sign and trade deal worth $56 million over 6 years and was dealt on October 24th. While he looked like he was improved at times, he was still as inconsistent as was with the Bulls. In 2006-07, Curry started and played in all but one game and averaged 19.5 points and 7 rebounds. For the 222 games he played for New York, he averaged 15.2 points and 5.8 rebounds. But he saw a decline in playing time and proved he was still a defensive liability.
Jared Jeffries just like Thomas was an Indiana Hoosier. And just like Zeke he played in the national championship. So when the Wizards selected Jeffries as the 11th overall pick in 2002, they had hopes that he was going to be something special. He just turned out to be a decent player that was injury prone. In the 2004-05 season, Jeffries averaged 6.8 points and 2.9 rebounds in 77 games. But it was the following season that caught Thomas's eye. He played in the same number of games but started 6 more games. His numbers did take a slight dip, but it was in the playoffs that Jeffries began to shine. In the 2006 playoffs he averaged 8 points and 6.2 rebounds in 6 games.
So that prompted Zeke to sign Jeffries for 5 years $30 million. While he was a restricted free agent, the Wizards decided to let the Knicks have him. Unfortunately, the story was the same for Jeffries. He had a hard time staying healthy, but when he was, he worked hard. In 2008-09 he averaged 8.1 points and pulled down 6.3 rebounds in 56 games.
Hopefully I made my point about the owners being liable for this strike happening. People will say if the players weren't so greedy about taking these huge contracts, then this would not be happening. But do you expect the players NOT to pass up that kind of opportunity? If you do, then you must be having the best time in Imaginationland. A lot of people would love to get a multi-million dollar contract to be unproductive. But make sure you work hard and maybe you'll be the lucky one.
Like I said before, to be a dynasty, everyone on the team needs to be on the same page. On top of that, owners need to quit giving loads of money to talent that won't give their teams a prosperous return in their investment. It's always a crapshoot finding talent that will make the team better, but COME ON!!! You people have the money, find some personnel that knows how to recruit talent and hire them. And also, don't be afraid to pay your players their fair market value.
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