Comments on: Redd brings Cavs back to reality with dagger

By: time for me to fly

time for me to fly — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 05:53:34 +0000

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By: mike

mike — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 23:31:24 +0000

Wait a minute… did nobody else see Redd travel before the shot???!! I have the highlights on tivo and he traveled. He was running so fast that when he tried to stop, he planted both feet and they both slide. It was a great shot, but he definitely traveled.

By: kj

kj — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 23:12:07 +0000

good point, biff. when we’re talking max deals and the such, yes, howard is right behind LBJ in “value” right now…

By: Ryan

Ryan — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 22:08:10 +0000

92-73 pre-ref-bias. That’s all that matters, evenly officiated and the Cavs win by 20. Ben Wallace got hacked 3 times absolutely blatantly with no call. just those calls may have been enough to win it. Yes LeBron looked like Larry dribbling the ball off his leg at the end of the game, but it wasn’t THAT that cost us the game, it was the same crew that ejected Kobe screwing up all the calls that cost us the game – no way is this not a “5%” game.

By: Share It

Share It — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 22:00:57 +0000

[...] tough night Tuesday in Milwaukee, with the Cleveland Cavaliers in town. Brian Windhorst of the Akron Beacon Journal described the referring as “uneven” and noted that the Bucks got 37 free throws and Cavs only 14. [...]

By: Biff

Biff — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 21:39:42 +0000

His playing ability now may not put him there but teams don’t sign players to new contracts for past performance. If you had to predict the future performance of all of the guys in the league, Howard would probably be second to Lebron. Lets put it this way: I think its safe to say that every single GM in the league would sign Howard to a max contract if given the opportunity.

By: kj

kj — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 21:18:22 +0000

sorry, biff, howard is playing at nowhere *near* the level of LBJ and kobe. sure, his ceiling may be high. but look at what he did yesterday, for example. like 17 points and 10 boards. sorry, that an ilgauskas line not a super-duper star’s line. plus, his own coach has called him out *publicly* for not busting his ass.

give him time but *right now* he ain’t in the league of those other guys you mentioned.

By: Terry Pluto's Hair

Terry Pluto's Hair — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 20:43:20 +0000

larry d., I have to agree. The blog took a rather uncomfortable turn with this para:

“For the first time this season Zydrunas Ilgauskas is going to miss a game, he has a bad cold. So does athletic trainer Max Benton and they are back at the hotel in bed.”

By: Biff

Biff — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 19:38:59 +0000

KJ, I put Howard in that category because he is already playing at an extremely high level and next to Lebron, his ceiling is higher than anyone else’s in the league. Therefore, he’s worth as much as league rules say you can pay him.

Larry d, you make a very good point about taxes. The contract difference is more like 60% of $20 million…Practically nothing right! In all seriousness, it is still a ton of money but at the same time, when the dollar figures are that high, is it really going to change a person’s lifestyle? For smart players, I agree, it could be the difference between setting up your children for life and setting up your great-grandchildren for life. However, my better instincts tell me that for the majority of NBA players, the actual difference is a few extra Maybachs and gold plated toilets.

I’m reminded of the famous Patrick Ewing quote:

“We might make a lot of money but we also spend a lot of money.”

Whatever, it’s all irrelevant. You can’t try to bring financial reason into a league that has paid Keith Van Horn over $100 million in his career and where players get paid the full value of their contracts just to go away and sign new contracts with other teams. Sports in general defies every aspect of financial logic that governs other businesses.

By: larry d.

larry d. — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 19:00:12 +0000

Good points biff.

It’s difficult for me to understand the perspective that kind of money creates. If I were weighing those kinds of offers, it’s possible I would realize I’d be happier winning championships, playing close to home, etc., yet still take the bigger deal because I’d like to help the family more.

That extra $20 million (much less after taxes) could be the difference in being able to help all your siblings do what they want in life, or the difference in making sure your family is set permanently rather than for a generation or two. It’s too much money to responsibly pass up, really.