Salary structure

[Alex Wang <awang@mit.edu>]

Some people are suggesting that Pierce is going to get a maximum
extension in a year. Under the new collective bargaining agreement,
don't the Celtics have an option year in his fourth year and then
right of first refusal after that? I don't think the Celtics will
have to shell out the big contract until 2002.

Ron Mercer is probably looking at his contract extension in the
following way: Kerry Kittles got $52 million and Mercer has had 
a better season than him. Kobe Bryant got the max and Mercer had 
a compararable second year.

Tony Battie probably compares himself to Marcus Camby who got 
$39 million from New York and has very similar numbers this year,
although Camby has shown more in previous years. Battie has less
talent but a better attitude and work ethic than Camby. (As a 
side note, does anyone actually believe that Battie intended to
drag and injure a police officer with his car by somehow trapping
his hand in his car window?)

The idea of paying everyone is pretty expensive. You have the 
following averages over the rest of their contracts:
 
Walker		$12M
Mercer		$9-12M
Anderson	$8M
Potapenko	$5M
Battie		$3-6M

That's $37-43M for these five players, which already puts you over
the cap. Young talent is wonderful but very expensive. Throw in
a few bench players at $3M/yr and some exception players at $2M/yr
as well as draft picks for $1-2M/yr and you have a $60M payroll.

You have Pierce as a talented, underpaid player which is a great
thing for a team with a budget. Chicago benefitted in a similar way
from having Pippen so cheaply, even though they didn't really seem 
to have a budget to constrain them. So I don't think that Pierce
gets traded under any circumstances.

Alex