Posted on June 26th, 2014
By DERON SNYDER
Life is better with options and it couldn’t be much better for LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony. They wrested control and leverage from management in an industry where labor typically has little.
Pro athletes in major team sports have no say in choosing their first employer, as 60 young men will experience firsthand Thursday night in the NBA Draft. They often play no role in deciding if and where they’re traded. They’re expected to treat loyalty as a two-way street, though teams can erect “Do Not Enter” signs at any point, especially in the twilight of a career.
Don’t get me wrong; I’d sign up for that deal in a heartbeat. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that Americans with bachelor’s degrees can expect $2.1 million in earnings during their working life.
So, yes, being a pro athlete for even a few years would be awesome.
Being in James’ or Anthony’s position would be even sweeter.
By exercising the early-out option in their contracts with Miami and New York, respectively, James and Anthony essentially become assistant general managers any for interested teams. They will ask questions and their opinions will carry weight with teams that are anxious to sign them.
Which other free agents are you pursuing? Which veterans are you retaining? Which players are you dangling as trade bait?
Special bonus question for the Lakers: Who’s going to be the coach?
Some observers grumble about players having that much influence. But it’s called “star power” for a reason. Keeping them happy – whether it’s James and Anthony, Bryce Harper and Mike Trout or Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III – can go a long way toward keeping them in your uniform.
While I love the fact that James and Anthony took charge of their own destiny, another aspect of their decision is equally appealing.
The NBA offseason became a lot more interesting, filled with drama, suspense and intrigue that otherwise wouldn’t exist. Imagine how dull it would be if James and Anthony turned down their shot at free agency.
Read more…
Posted on June 24th, 2014
By DERON SNYDER
Every 48 months, certain events produce a fever-like rise in interest among the general populace.
Olympiads create passionate enthusiasts of figure skating, swimming and track & field. Presidential elections lead to exponential increases in the number of people enthralled by politics. Leap years send people scurrying for primers on numerology and the Gregorian calendar.
And the World Cup generates extraordinary affection for soccer.
For four weeks (even with the inevitable dip when the United States is eliminated), headers, corner kicks and equalizers are mentioned in a high percentage of sports conversations. Folks who don’t know the difference between yellow cards and green cards become temporary soccer buffs every four years, like clockwork.
I am one. And I am not ashamed.
Diehard fans know the biggest international stars and the most-promising domestic players. They follow the English Premier League, the Champions League and Major League Soccer. They can hold in-depth discussion on different styles of play and tactical strategies, including the pros and cons of using solo attackers versus a duo.
That’s not the case for Johnny-come-latelies and Mary-just-got-heres. We embrace “the beautiful game” momentarily and then proceed with our soccer-free lives until the next World Cup rolls around.
But even with that lack of background and knowledge, our emotional deposits can match any true believer.
Read more…
Posted on June 17th, 2014
R.C. Buford
By DERON SNYDER
In the end, R.C. Buford was way better than Pat Riley. Their matchup was more lopsided than the last three games in the NBA Finals.
Riley would win soundly in a popularity contest. Many NBA fans don’t know what Buford does for a living and most couldn’t identify him in a lineup.
He didn’t play for the legendary Adolph Rupp at Kentucky or come off the bench (and guard Jerry West in practice) for the Los Angeles Lakers. He didn’t coach the “Showtime” Lakers to four NBA titles or lead the New York Knicks to their first Finals’ in two decades.
And he certainly didn’t build the Miami Heat into a championship team, first by drafting Dwyane Wade and trading for Shaquille O’Neal, later by luring LeBron James and Chris Bosh to South Beach to join Wade.
While Riley was becoming a fashion icon and celebrity coach-turned-executive, Buford was working his way up the San Antonio Spurs organization. He went from assistant coach to head scout to director of scouting to vice president/assistant GM before being elevated to general manager in July 2002.
His handiwork was on display again Sunday night, as the Spurs routed Miami for the third consecutive game and won the club’s fifth NBA title. San Antonio outscored Miami 322-265 in the series, exposing the Heat as a surprisingly thin, limited and poorly-constructed team.
Read more…
Posted on June 12th, 2014
Southeastern Conference Commissioner Mike Slive
By DERON SNYDER
The NCAA that we’ve come to know and despise is in critical condition with a prognosis that suggests the end is near.
The equivalent of flesh-eating bacteria are close to devouring the body from within. Outside, it is suffering injury from a series of blows that ultimately could be fatal.
External attacks include the trial in Ed O’Bannon’s class-action antitrust lawsuit, which enters day four Thursday in Oakland. Just as those proceeding got underway, the NCAA announced a settlement to pay $20 million to current and former college athletes who sued in a lower-profile case involving their likenesses in video games.
Organizations such as the National College Players Association also pose great harm. The NCPA has led a series of reforms to improve student-athletes’ rights and benefits since 2001, but the biggest victory yet could be on the horizon.
Northwestern is appealing a National Labor Relations Board regional ruling that the school’s scholarship players have the right to unionize; the full NLRB will hear the appeal later this year.
Even if the full board overturns the decision – or even if a majority of the team voted not to unionize when secret ballots were cast in April – damage has been done and the issue will continue to simmer on back burners.
But the greatest threat to the NCAA as we know it could come from its own members.
Read more…
Posted on June 10th, 2014
By DERON SNYDER
Four months into his new job, commissioner Adam Silver has kept his cool a lot better than AT&T Center in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Neither Donald Sterling nor faulty a circuit breaker has cramped Silver’s style.
His first Finals news conference, prior to Game 2, was much like his first major press conference six weeks earlier. Both can serve as case studies in crisis management, handling a disgraced Los Angeles Clippers owner and fallout from San Antonio’s Game 1 victory in oppressive conditions.
The issues are no way similar in long-term impact and consequences. Donald Sterling is more like a massive hurricane compared to the solitary lightning bolt of “Heat-gate.” But they represent the biggest flashes in Silver’s brief stint and isn’t looking for new candidates anytime soon.
LeBron James’ severe cramps in the opener hijacked the Finals’ storyline for three days. “I’m glad that this isn’t single elimination,” Silver said.
“… I would say that [the lack of AC] is certainly not one of my prouder moments in my short tenure as commissioner so far, but it’s the nature of this game. There always are going to be human and mechanical errors and it’s unfortunate.”
However, all of the crazy talk about a Spurs’ conspiracy and James being a wimp didn’t topple the Clippers from atop Silver’s to-do list. The first two questions dealt with the team’s pending sale to Steve Balmer and pending litigation by Sterling. Silver responded to 22 queries overall and 14 involved the Clippers.
Read more…
Follow
By DERON SNYDER
