dougthonus wrote:
This has been true for 1-2 years though and only when the exchange rate was through the roof. It doesn't mean anything for all the guys in the past 15 years which you suggested. It also is almost certainly going to be over this summer. You won't see those deals going to European players in a down economy.
I didn't suggest $6 million or $8 million was the price tag 15 years ago. The salary scales were obviously different, but the top players in europe were still getting paid more there than in the NBA. Even if their contracts were lower, clubs were paying their taxes or paying rent plus covering expensives.
I agree we'll see lower salaries this summer. But will it change to the extend where the best european players would switch leagues and go to the NBA? I don't think so. I obviously hope so, as it would make some absolute sick NBA rosters. But I don't think we'll see it.
European basketball as a whole is run at massive net losses for all the teams with high payrolls.
Yes, an increasing problem. It's only the rich clubs that are connected to soccer clubs that can 'afford' to lose money on basketball. Real Madrid and Barcelona are each making astronomical numbers in soccer every year, and the amount of money they lose in basketball is covered by less than 10% of their toal soccer profit. I recently read it was close to 5%, but seing as how the soccer world is also going suffering from the economy, I don't believe it.
The contracts are compared to 8 million US after you take the taxes into account, you're doubling the benefit there. The lack of any real guarantee on your money vastly overwhelms any benefit as well.
I don't recall his name as it's a Lithuanian name, but a player signed for 1-year, $7.8 million two summers ago. I believe it was for Moscow or Maccabi Tel-Aviv. That's $7.8 million US and without taking the taxes into affect. His taxes were covered, he was bought a house, a car and had an expense account.
I'll admit that I haven't paid that close attention to the salaries lately, so you might be right about the present players who are earning $8 million, if the taxes are accounted for. But seing as thought those kind of contracts have been signed, I wouldn't be surprised if it's $8 million after taxes. Keep in mind, the $8 million figure was an absolute top salary.
(I'm trying to find a salary page for European teams, but I'm not getting results)
The thing is, they don't have non-guaranteed contracts. The contracts ARE guaranteed. The teams just don't pay them. I wouldn't be surprised if this practice comes up a lot more with American players than European ones. Especially when an American has to go sue them in a local (often corrupt) court.
I didn't know that. I was under the impression they were non-guarenteed contracts. I always thought the players sued the teams for not paying on time, or paying what he did earn while playing.
Corrupt court however, doesn't sound like europe. It really doesn't. The UN have gotten so strict on legal actions across the countries that I find a corrupt court unlikely. Though, if the players do not end up getting their money after signing a guarenteed contract, I can certainly understand why people are raising eye-brows. That shouldn't happen.
People have to treat the deals as non-guaranteed regardless of what the contract actually says.
Well still. The contract should be honored from both sides. If the teams are not honouring it, they should be helt accountable. I'm 100% on the players side if they get waived on a fully guarenteed contract and doesn't get paid.
Doug, could you ask some international DX scouts about this? I'd really like to hear more about this. I can't imagine there's corrupt courts after the UN and all the respective nation leaders made it an issue just a few years ago.
