and this:
Talent and potential at the age of 18 undeniable. Not wanting to play in a city because it wasn't a big enough market. Just a bit concerning to me. In any event, the trade was made and we got Randy Foye and Mike Miller. As GM, Ernie Grunfeld is one of the more respected GM's in the game, though I'm not really sure why. He was a successful GM with the Knicks, though they already had a certain Patrick Ewing playing for them. And then he was the GM of the Milwaukee Bucks, a veritable wasteland. So what is 2009 and the future looking like for the Wizards under Mr. Grunfeld?
* A few notes beforehand (skip if you understand how a salary cap works)
1) The NBA has what is called a salary cap. A cap means that there is a limit on the amount a team can pay players on its total payroll per season (projected to be somewhere around $69 million for the next season - has to be used on at least 13 players). The 'soft' part of it means that a team can go over the limit, sometimes without even paying a luxury tax.
2) What is a luxury tax? When a team goes a specified amount (let's say $10 million or so) above the salary cap, the NBA will invoke the luxury tax. Easy explanation: for every dollar over the luxury tax a team spends, they have to give the same amount to the NBA, which will then redistribute the other teams in the NBA at the end of the season. Sports socialism, if you will.
** The purpose of this is obvious: the NBA wants to give all teams and even mound to pitch offers to potential players. Of course, larger market teams where athletes can get more exposure and marketing (i.e even more money due to sponsorships) still dominate (BTW, you were probably thinking, hey what about the Spurs, they are small market. San Antonio is the seventh largest city in the country. Hardly a small market team).
** It mitigates the chances of having a powerhouse team of all-star, $20 million players (it actually makes it fairly impossible if you think about it. Most NBA teams, even more so now, struggle to make a profit. If you had to match dollar for dollar every amount you paid to players after the luxury tax kicked in and give it to the NBA, you would 1)lose money and 2) the other teams would receive the money from you[your luxury tax divided by 29]. NBA owners are extremely wealthy (worth hundreds of million through 1-digit billionaires). However, they aren't two-digit billionaires willing to own an NBA team that would lose $20 M a season. If Bill Gates or Lawrence Ellison decide to buy an NBA team one day, well, watch out.
This is the current player/financial situation of the Washington Wizards (formatting issues):
Player 2009 2010 2011 2012
Gilbert Arenas$16,192,080 $17,730,694 $19,269,308 $20,807,922
Antawn Jamison$11,641,09 $13,358,905 $15,076,715 $0
Caron Butler $9,780,970 $10,561,960 $0 $0
Mike Miller $9,750,000 $0 $0 $0
Mike James $6,466,600 $0 $0 $0
Brendan Haywood$6,000,000 $0 $0 $0
DeShawn Stevenson$3,886,928 $4,151,786 $0 $0
Randy Foye $3,575,761 $4,795,095 $0 $0
Andray Blatche $3,000,00 $3,260,331 $3,520,661 $0
Nick Young $1,714,800 $2,630,503 $3,695,857 $0
JaVale McGee $1,496,640 $1,601,040 $2,462,399 $3,494,144
J. Crittenton $1,477,920 $2,275,996 $3,245,571 $0
Dominic McGuire$825,497 $0 $0 $0
TOTALS: $75,808,291 -- $49,063,676 -- $37,866,684 -- $20,807,922
If you can see through the formatting issues (or just glance at this site while reading, http://hoopshype.com/salaries/washington.htm), a few obvious things come up:
1) Washington meets the minimum number of players on the team (13-active roster).
2) NBA players make a lot of money (esp. one Gilbert Arenas - I'll get to him in a second)
3) The Wizards are above the salary cap (most teams are) but don't pay the luxury tax.
4) Randy Foye (an up and coming guard, scored about 16 ppg last year) gets paid about 3.5 M because he is still in his first rookie contract
One would think that teams that are successful naturally spend more money to do that. Let's look at the Lakers(sportscity.com - has 2008 salary caps): 78.3 M
Celtics:$77.6 M
Nuggets: 68.5 M (equivalent to the Washington Wizards; the Nuggets were arguably the second best team this year after the Lakers)
Cavs: 89 M
* You ever realize why Mark Cuban is so angry and yelling at officials (and now cursing out players' mothers) in the stands? Take a look at the Mavs' salary payroll for 2008: $94.5 M. OUCH!
While the Lakers spent over the cap, so did the Wizards and a number of other NBA teams. In fact, the Lakers, for all of their fame and sunshine state weather and celebrity, spent $9 M more than the Wizards. The Cavs spent almost $90 M to try and get themselves a title, and they were still nowhere closer than a few seasons ago.
What does this mean? It comes down to the quality of the GM to make the wise decisions.
The GM position is difficult because it's constantly in flux:
* Does one try to win a title in the now and mortgage their future?
* Does one do just enough to make the playoffs each year, keeping the owner and fans happy?
* Does one try to 'save up' and wait for the iron to get hot (like what the Knicks are doing with waiting for next summer)?
* Does one overpay for a player that is well into his prime (think Celtics and Kevin Garnett - [he will be making $21 M in 2011. Three seasons from now in 2011, he will be 36 and will be in his 17th season!)? THE BIG TICKET? Hmmm, by then he should be happy to settle for THE LITTLE TOKEN.
* Does one realize that NBA players are NBA players, understanding that they don't want to spend their millions and the best years of their life in places like Charlotte (2008 cap - $60 M) and Salt Lake City, Utah (2008 cap - $64 M)?
So how do the Wizards look?
1)Well, Gilbert Arenas and his Gilbertology are tied down the next 5 seasons at around $16-22 M per season.
2)Antawn Jamison (btw,I love how people still pronounce it like it's Antwan) is tied up for the next three seasons at $11-15 M per season.
3)Brenda(n) Haywood will be playing again this season after missing all of last year. He's 29 (prime time) and in a contract year (last year of his final deal @ 6 M this season), so he will play his ass off this year. So the Wizards will have to overpay this summer to keep him. And if Grunfeld signed off to pay for the bad-kneed Arenas, I count on him to pay for a soft center who looks clueless on the court.
Ahem, exhibit F, I mean exhibit A:
4) Randy Foye. I would love this trade if the Wizards were paying him his same salary now (about $4 M) for the next three seasons. Instead...contract talks loom next summer for the one of the better young 2-guards in the league. Would the Wizards sign him for $8-9 M a season and pair him with another 2-guard in Gilbert Arenas (bad idea), while limiting the playing time of another young 2-guard in Nick Young, who is every bit as talented as Foye? Anything is possible with this Grunfeld cat.
The only piece of good news?
Deshawn Stevenson has only 2 years left on his contract. If Grunfeld re-signs him, I will cease to be a Wizards fan.
Final thoughts:
1) The GM, more than the team superstar, head coach or owner, is the most important person on an NBA team.
2) Looking at the Wizard's payroll, I have no idea what his plan is.
3) As of July 2009, the Wizards could potentially have a lineup of the following:
1 - Gilbert Arenas
2 - Randy Foye
3 - Caron Butler
4 - Antawn Jamison
5 - Contract year Brendan Haywood
& nothing but guards to come off the bench (Mike Miller, Nick Young, Deshawn Stevenson and Blatche to sub for the ballin' Brenda)
Does that team (if healthy) beat the Spurs, Lakers, Nuggets, Celtics,Magic Trailblazers (they have plenty of cap space this summer) or Cavs (with Shaq)? Not a chance.
So we have a potentially good, not great team to enjoy for the next year.
Then contract talks with the the big Brenda and Foye. And Arenas signed for five years.
Grunfeld's grade - D
Let's contrast that with:
Whoever the GM that is in charge of the Spurs - (Look at this payroll and how the high-playing players just roll off and free up space season after season. That and how you sign veteran players to 2-year contracts and/or trade for veterans with 1-2 years left on their contracts?)
http://www.sportscity.com/NBA/San-Antonio-Spurs-Salaries
Genius personified.
Spurs GM without a name Grade - A+
Let's go, Wizards?
("I'ma lay here until Grunnie pays up and gives me a $118 M contract.")
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