Why Are Other NBA Players Criticizing Jeremy Lin's Contract? Has This Ever Happened Before?

This question originally appeared on Quora.

By Andres Alvarez, Editor at the Wages of Wins Journal

From Melo's perspective it's two fold:
1. He's only looking at Lin's 3rd year, where he'll be getting $14.5 and not the contract as a whole.
2. He calls it ridiculous because he realizes the offer was made just to keep New York from matching (see below)

The key reason Lin's contract seems "ridiculous" is because of the Gilbert Arenas Provision (http://www.cbafaq.com/salarycap....) To allow teams to keep their second rounders and undrafted players, player salaries are constrained through their fourth season. Once they hit their fifth year, their salary is no longer constrained.

The premise behind this provision was to let teams keep their second round picks that turned into superstars (e.g. Gilbert Arenas, Carlos Boozer, Monta Ellis) and not worry about them being signed away with contracts they couldn't match.

The new CBA has also added a change to the luxury tax law that means every additional $5 million over the luxury cap, you're dinged even more.

What Daryl Morey has been doing is using these two things together to make "poison pill" contracts. In essence he's offering players contracts that will end up costing their team $14 million + millions more in cap hit in their third year in an effort to get them not to match. http://wagesofwins.com/2012/07/1...

In reality, Lin is probably not getting overpaid, that's because it's impossible to even pay him an average salary his first two seasons of his new contract. However, he is likely not worth $14.5 million a year (what he's getting his third year) and the only reason he's offered this is because it makes it virtually impossible for the Knicks to match (as we saw).

...

By Wray Rives, CPA CGMA

Some of the primary reasons:

1. It is a forgone conclusion NY is not going to pay to keep Lin, and everyone with NY wants to establish that this is still Melo's team.
2. Most of Lin's amazing stats came while Anthony was out injured, his streak pretty much ended with Anthony's return. Even though everyone knows it is Melo's team, Melo does not want to be seen as the reason a fan favorite left, so he wants everyone focused on the money, not him and team politics.
3. Houston is overpaying for Lin for pure marketing reasons. Their capacity numbers have fallen every year since Yao's last injury free season from 97% to low 80%. I think this is the first time an NBA team has overpaid for an unproven, possibly only average player strictly for marketing reasons. In the past, they always overpaid for a marquee player who also happened to have proven great ball skills. I imagine there is some fear among NBA elite that this could signal a shift in owners starting to solely value a player's ability to put butts in the seats as much as ability to put butts in the seats and play ball.

Regarding point 3, I don't believe it is a shift, but rather a unique situation where the right former star, Yao, paved the way for the right new guy, Lin, to come in and sell some tickets. But remember the line from Moneyball about when someone challenges their way of life, "the guys holding the reins and with their hand on the switch go bat-shit crazy?" That happens in basketball too.

...

By Nick Pritzakis, Nicks Fan

I have no clue. But it's not cool, if you ask me. Those guys are paid to play the game, not to be arm chair GMs.

Jeff Van Gundy, in an ESPN radio interview, mentioned that it was odd for players to judge other contracts ... and usually they are supportive of the deals they get.

One thing is for sure, Melo and JR know more about Lin's game then anyone in the media. They've practiced with the dude ... and they have a better idea of what he can do. But they were definitely hating on him by making those comments.

Maybe they knew he wasn't going to sign, and they just wanted to soften the blow and prepare the fans ... not sure.

More questions on Jeremy Lin:

• How do Knicks fans feel about Jeremy Lin signing with the Houston Rockets?
• Why is Jeremy Lin so turnover-prone and how can he fix this?
• What's it like to play on the same basketball team as Jeremy Lin?

 

Follow Quora on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Quora

Comments

[cpcheung]

09:56 PM on 07/23/2012

I like what Jeremy Lin said: ""It's not about who's right or who's wrong. I'm going to respond with love!" Amen!

[bikeguy54]

07:50 PM on 07/22/2012

Anthony wants it both ways: Praise when his team wins, no blame when it loses.

[grrsigh]

02:59 PM on 07/22/2012

Omer Asik got the same 3 year, $25MM "poison pill" contract from Houston.

[cpcheung]

01:56 PM on 07/22/2012

Jason Kidd pulled Lin's hair from behind during the game last year (see Youtube slow motion) and Lin fell heavily with his head abruptly backward down to hit the floor and it took Lin for a long minute lying on the floor before he could get up slowly. From now on, we worry about Lin's safety in the court. Rockets should have some big guys to be ready to protect him in each game, especially in the games against Knicks next year.

[malcolmalex]

11:42 AM on 07/22/2012

Unproven? Has RG3 paid an NFL game? Yet he got 21 million.Nobody is saying he's overpaid. Lin played at the highest level for 25 games in the NBA. Yet people say he's overpaid?? smh

[cpcheung]

10:10 AM on 07/22/2012

Melo's comment on Lin's contract is unprofessional and will set up a very bad example for all players -- players against fellow players! Fortunately, Lin did not react to Melo's comment. Lin was grateful to all news media and fans because he has class! If New York's media (like Stephen Smith) and some negative fans cannot even accommodate one single Asian player like Lin who was American-born, New York has no hope because her economy or fate has to depend on an open-system, rather than a closed system. Americans, dealing with the whole world, cannot be so narrow-minded. How happy and hopeful are you now when the Knicks become an all "senior citizens" team and is dominated by one ethnic group only?.

[Lateeda]

10:11 AM on 07/23/2012

Stephen A. Smith's hate for Jeremy Lin is truly beyond reason; seeminly from the time he stepped on the court.

There is a petition going around to get him removed from ESPN

[cpcheung]

01:26 PM on 07/23/2012

Thank you very much for your information about the petition to remove Stephen A. Smith from ESPN. i believe in American justice.

[mondjay]

05:25 PM on 07/23/2012

What about the hate for Lebron. I havent seen any petitions going around for him. Poor little "sideshow" Lin, lets all start crying.

[cha krew]

03:53 AM on 07/22/2012

Majority of blacks and whites are just jealous of Asians and try their best to devalue Asians.One Asian guy in the NBA and the blacks start trippin.

[mit1]

11:27 AM on 07/22/2012

Because basketball is one of a few things that blacks are good at. Even though there is just one Asian, that is enough for them to see the risk of people thinking it's not just blacks that can be stars. Than that will effect their self esteem of being a good for nothing race. The other thing they are good at is rap. Imagine an Asian rapper trying to get acceptance from fellow black rappers. Not going to happen.

[Lateeda]

10:14 AM on 07/23/2012

It is really sad that you think that.

I'm black and a Jeremy Lin fan.

Also , blacks are good at a variety of things : "From their earliest presence in North America, African Americans have contributed literature, art, agricultural skills, foods, clothing styles, music, language, social and technological innovation to American culture."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_American_culture

[cpcheung]

01:31 PM on 07/23/2012

Blacks are good at many things and basketball is not the only thing they can excel. Spike Lee is black but he supports Lin, just like many other black friends. Despite of Stephen A. Smith's continuous attacks on Lin, there are many blacks who might not agree with him.

[orcinous]

03:48 AM on 07/22/2012

Some players may be jealous as this player had maybe three good weeks of ball before being injured so as of now, he is still really unproven. No player ought to object to anyone being overpaid as that means the next contract signed by the complaining player will mean more money for them. A player might complain if a player signs a deal way under what he could have gotten thus reducing other player's potential at a hefty contract. As they say, you get what you are worth and you get what you can.

[cpcheung]

09:57 AM on 07/22/2012

Landry Field got what he was worth = $20 millions for three years and Jeremy Lin got what he was worth = $25 millions for three years. What they are worth is not what you think. What they are worth can only be determined by their objective market value. Your subjective judgment cannot count! Melo's judgment is "ridiculous" itself because his comment on Lin only reminds people that he has $20 millions per year and produces nothing in the last three years.

[cpcheung]

02:37 AM on 07/22/2012

Nick Pritzakis: you are completely wrong to say that both Melo and JR know that Lin was not a good player and therefore they said that Lin is not worth that money. The truth is that they are just jealous that Lin shines above them and can single-handed win the games without them. It was already proven. Melo was afraid that people would say he himself was over-paid and did not produce in the last three years. Melo's own contract of $20 millions per year is indeed 'ridiculous!"

[QuestOptions]

07:38 AM on 07/22/2012

I never wrote that they thought he was not a good player...all I said is that they have a better idea of what his game is like then the media who writes about him.

[cpcheung]

09:45 AM on 07/22/2012

If you did not mean it, I am sorry that I probably misunderstood you. However, what you said that "they have a better idea of what his game is like" is still you own perception. We have to look at the games themselves. What the fans saw with their eyes in the games was more crystal clear. Lin did win when both Melo and Amare were absent. If it was one game only, you might have said that it was Lin's pure luck. If it was more than five consecutive games with consistent performance, pure luck could not have done it. You can also see that every teammate was motivated, mobilized, and maximized by Lin when both Melo and Amare were absent. However, when both Melo and Amare came back to join the games, every teammate goes down, including Jeremy Lin. How can you still said that "they have a better idea of what his game is like"? Basketball games, just like the football games, must be a team work and who was the true leader of team work? Lin or Melo? I think Lin is the one who "has a better idea what a good game is like? Being unkind to humble person like Lin is too cruel, but being supportive of the stepmother and the stepsisters in the Cinderella story is taking the wrong side of evil.

[JacksonHts]

03:12 PM on 07/27/2012

Well, ironic that a player who has yet to prove that he is anything more than Nate Robinson Redux is opining on the offer tendered by Houston and whether the Knicks should or should not match. I fully expect players to chime in on Denver's contract with Javale McGee, or next time a Gilbert Arenas or Rashard Lewis (or Amare Stoudemire for that matter) gets a $100M contract, and to show such concern for James Dolan's pocketbook.

[plansmaker]

01:51 AM on 07/22/2012

Its definitely stepping out of line for one player to criticize other's contract.
If this is the norm than NBA would be a war zone. for that matter all pro sports...Hey, Tiger Woods, you are making too much money, say Lefty.

[autoprt]

01:33 AM on 07/22/2012

maybe the kid can just play, he's still fairly new to the nba, a gym rat with talent and scored 38 on the lakers who were trying to stop him. he had a bad game against the heat because he had no support from his teammates that game.

time will tell, the knicks team was a disaster so he should fare much better without having to deal with melo and amare since his game was vastly improved when out. if he can improve his strength and stamina he should be ok especially if the rockets could add one or 2 more picks, they have some nice players and a possible ROY in Jeremy Lamb.

[Eric Sim]

01:12 AM on 07/22/2012

Technically, it is a simple assessment - if Fields can get $20m, and nobody knocks his contract as ridiculous, why pick on Lin? Lin is guided by his agents, the deal was struck by his agents on his behalf. If you average out his pay, it amounts to a mere $8m, use this figure to compare with other point guards, and he is below many of them, including Calderon at $11m. Many readers simply don't use yardstick as measurement and speak out of line. Logic prevails in the end. Melo meant no harm in his comments and probably taken out of context. Lin has the greatest of respect for his teammates and he would not challenge Woodson's decision by taking the ball away from him. He wants to see Melo and Amare do well more than anyone of us realize! Most importantly, the extra money that he makes will end up in his charity foundation. Many underprivileged kids (mostly black) will benefit from his foundation. Therefore, those who know him will always wish him well because of his true Christian spirit.