Quote:
Originally Posted by Zeke
So many people here still don't understand the NBA and it's salary structure.
Who gives a rats **** if he is the #2 pick overall or the #15... that doesn't matter at all... we're talking a few hundred thousand dollars difference? Maybe a mil?
the NBA players don't make their money on their rookie contract. They make their money in their second and third contracts after serving three years (sometimes two)... it's about starting that clock as quickly as possible because of the limited window NBA players have to stay in the league. A few guys will stay past their second and third contracts that can extend their careers somehow... If that third contract expires after he's 30, he'll have a difficult time getting a nice payday after that.
Smart cost himself a years window in his career at $10+ mil. As well as the possibility of his 3rd contract extending past his prime. That's where he cost himself... slot position has little to do with it from a business standpoint.
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Yes and no.
You have to be good enough to GET that second contract. Some players need an extra year to develop and learn. I know what you're going to say:
"NBA develops better! Year round! No restrictions!"
Yes and no.
No restrictions means your body has to stand up to a great deal more punishment. Sometimes a 19 year old's body just isn't ready for that. It also means that no one is holding your hand. You better get up and get going, or you'll get gone. The league chews up and spits out dudes left and right.
They have just as good of coaches in the NBA to teach!
Yes and no.
Some of them do. But I'd put Self, Coach K, Pitino, and maybe a few others up there with the best NBA coaches. And sometimes what you learn in college you simply can't learn in the NBA when you're a top lottery pick. Things like leadership. How to constantly prepare as a winner. How to win with a target on your back. How to get up for games when you are the favorite.
Most of these guys are going to dogshit teams that either have a lack of talent, chemistry issues, a revolving coaches' door, or all this and more. They won't have strong voices to guide them. They won't learn how to be leaders. John Wall gets his numbers. Boogie Cousins gets his numbers. Neither really understand how to be a leader for their team.
If a player isn't smart (see: James, Lebron) and tenacious (see Bryant, Kobe), then they might never turn to veteran guys for guidance. They will simply be 25 year old versions of their rookie selves. Sure, they'll make money. But transcendent talents - the real money makers - their the ones who WIN. They become icons.
Embiid, Wiggins, Parker... they won't be making a mistake by going to the NBA. But they wouldn't make a mistake by sticking around, learning some more, and being ready to LEAD that dogshit team that drafts them.
I honestly think Marcus Smart did the right thing by coming back. He didn't cost himself more than a couple hundred grand. He'll still be a top 7 pick. And when he goes to the Kings, he won't feel like a Freshman. He'll have at least another year of confidence so he can actually lead. Wiggins has spent a year feeling like a Freshman. Next year he will as well. Sometimes it pays to have a couple years of distance between rookie years, so that your mentality is one of confidence and leadership.
How much money is that worth?