Next Collective Bargaining Agreement

[kevin.lok@lycosmail.com (Kevin Lok)]

You know I see many players noww with fat contracts (like our Mr
Walker) just not having the comittment to pursue the ultimate/true
goal of playing in the NBA, which is winning a (or many) NBA
championship.

Many consider (like Kevin Mchale said during the press conference
after the "forced" Marbury trade) money, playing time, respect, shots
per game first, before winning.

In the next CBA, they should fine tune it and do something to
encourage winning.

Contracts should not be gauranteed longer than 2 or 3 years. I like
what the NFL is doing. See the example of Neil O'donnel, QB with the
Jets last year. He got a 5 year 25 mil contract from Tuna, but by end
of the season, he was no more the starter, and he was cut. I think
this is fair, you don't perform, you go. The money can then be spent
on another fella hopefully making the team more competive.
Do you guys agree?

Salary cap? I think it is a joke about this 34 or 36 mil cap. Or even
if next year's is 50 mil cap it is a joke. Becos of all this Bird
rights, players can exceed the cap, I think it is not fair for the
business man who put the money in this franchise. 

Assuming if this coming season (Y2000) is a bad one and they done
their sums after the season to determine the salary cap for the
following Y2001 season, and they found that it is lower (like 30 mil
or less per team), is it fair that they have to continue to pay those
huge guaranteed money (especially to those 71mil/6 year deals)? I
think it is bad business.

I think the solution, is to implement the salary scale with player
contracts going by percentage of the cap figure.

Something like, top player 25% of cap money, next better player 20%,
next 18%, and so on. With this you have cost certainty.

Just an idea. Thanks for listening.

Kevin/Singapore