Re: The Boston Celtics Mailing List Digest V5 #338

[Michael Joseph Byrnes <mbyrnes@leland.Stanford.EDU>]

Alex Wang wrote:

> I have a feeling that with Pitino and Walker, money would heal
> many wounds. If Walker is given the long-term big money contract,
> I think he will feel that Pitino respects and supports him, which
> would solve the attitude problem.

"Pay me $100 million and I'll shape up."?  That doesn't sound like much of
an investment strategy to me.  

> An interesting tidbit from the D'Allesandro article (I think) was
> that the five year rookie contracts with sixth year right of 
> refusal in the owners' proposal would be applied retroactively
> to players still under their rookie contracts. This would have a
> major impact on the Celtics with Walker and Mercer.

I don't think this could ever happen, without the agreement of each and
every player whose contract is affected by the new agreement.  Even if the
unoin were to agree to retroactively change rookie contracts, I suspect
that at least one player negatively affected by the change would sue the
NBA for breah of contract, and I fail to see how said player could
possibly lose.

Either Dalessandro is wrong, or the owners are posturing.

Michael Byrnes
mbyrnes@stanford.edu