Holy moly, have you seen the size of these new NBA free agent contracts with the higher salary cap this year? SU used to think that parents should raise their kids to be left-handed relief pitchers so that they could pitch until they were 47 years old. But the early returns on the NBA contracts are jaw-dropping:
- 4 years and $72 million for Joakim Noah who is 31 years old and is coming off 2 injury-plagued seasons. The Knicks are clearly looking to win now as Melo’s window is closing and Derrick Rose’s knees have been given some fresh scotch-tape to hold them together.
- Timofey Mozgov is getting $64 million for 4 years from the Lakers in a league where the center is no longer the center piece of the action.
- Kent Bazemore of the Atlanta Hawks averaged 11.6 points and 5.1 rebounds last year. He is looking for $19 – 20 million a year in his deal. Huh? But at least he’s a young guy.
- Nicolas Batum will stay with Charlotte for 5 years, $120 million. He is a nice player but is not a superstar.
Meanwhile, apparently Hassan Whiteside will stay with the Miami Heat. The rumors run rampant this time of the year but the fact is that the player’s original team can offer more years in any contract than another team. SU believes Durant will also stay at home after entertaining team representatives out in the Hamptons this weekend. That must be fun. The Knicks are competitive now on paper but SU maintains that if you field an old team with question marks then those question marks will become issues as the season progresses. Especially for a guy like Noah who plays hard and throws his body all over the place. Of course, time will tell.
The Yankees have put off breaking up the team for another week on the heels of two walk off 9th inning wins. Nothing more exciting than the walk-off passed ball. They are going to keep teasing the fans for another month and may just fool Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner to become buyers come late July. Of course, they will then completely collapse in August. As a representative of the entire Yankee fan base, SU says you have our permission to break up the roster. We are happy to be patient and watch the youngsters develop.
Met fans are in full panic mode on the NY sports talk radio shows. I must say, Yankee fans get pissed off but seem calmer. Met fans are almost hysterical. One guy wanted them to break up the whole team and start over. Say what? Get a grip and see how this plays out. You are right there and if you get the pitching right come October, they are a threat when runs are at a premium in the post-season.
Sports Update Intergalactic 
Those NBA contract numbers are crazy. I guess the idea is to sign 3 or 4 guys to ridiculous contracts and then pay the rest of the roster with the change that falls out of pockets in the courtside seats.
As for blowing up the Yankees, I would like them to make some trades for the future but “blowing up” seems a little dramatic. Realistically they only have 2 or 3 players at most who would be dealt. Nobody wants Rodriguez, Ellsbury, McCann, Texeira, Sabbathia, etc. Trading Beltran could hurt the team this season but probably not much since he’s bound to taper off. And trading a reliever will not hurt much either. I would trade Chapman tomorrow. He’s fantastic but his role would be ably filled. They should do it fast before he gets hurt or shoots someone. And to me I trade Chapman over Miller every day of the week. If they trade Miller they’re going to free agency for next year’s closer and it will cost a fortune.
Seth, totally agree on Miller vs. Chapman although I think he has learned his lesson about which parts of his house to shoot at. Miller is the best of the three and they have him under contract for 2 more years. Has already proven he can pitch in NY. It’s a no-brainer to keep him. I would trade Beltran (now) and I think Texeira has value to a contender as a rental. Gardner’s deal is also reasonable and he might have value.
How about Jordan Clarkson, 50 mill for 4 years? I don’t follow the NBA closely but I legitimately have never heard of him!
Wow, had not seen that one. He is on the Lakers right? He edged ahead of Jeremy Lin a couple of years ago in the rotation but he is at best a back up point guard. Maybe that’s what they will get paid now?
I suppose with all the TV fees and costs at the arenas we continue to pay, the amount of available money for NBA players is there. Injuries aside (and is is hard to put them aside) I have always liked how hard Noah and Rose play.
Sasha, I think it’s the TV deals. The NBA is a stars’ league and they have a great group of stars in this era. They are doing much better in their packages and the money flows into the contracts. But it seems like the stars are getting a lot more and the fringe/role players will get much less. No question Noah plays hard. I think Rose did early in his career. I am not sure now with the knee injuries. There was a lot of drama in Chicago the last couple of years with him. But he should be motivated as he is a free agent.
Jeremy Lin just got a 3 year 36 Million $ deal. This along with the other contracts you mentioned are ridiculous. Is there a way to short the NBA? Perhaps we should short Disney/ESPN who has enabled these outrageous deals with broadcast contracts that are totally unsustainable. Much like giving a 33 year old player a 5 year contract based on his previous 5 year prime performance, the media companies have projected future growth based on past performance. But this past performance was coming off a bottom caused by the financial crisis. This will end as badly as the Jason Bay Mets Contract!
Well I am very excited about the Jeremy Lin deal and him coming to Brooklyn. I now have a team to root for next year and he will get to start. Actually, for a starting point guard deal, probably reasonably priced. Now if I can just figure out a way to get home from Barclay’s to Westchester at a reasonable hour. This is excellent news.