Wednesday Bolts – 7.15.15
Kelly Dwyer of Ball Don’t Lie: “Comparing Harden’s 2012 deal to Kanter’s 2015 offer sheet match is ludicrous. For one, until the NBA announced its most recent national television deal’s terms, most assumed that the salary cap would continue to rise in smaller increments as it always has (with a few exceptions in the NBA’s low years). Whether you personally would not like Enes Kanter in your rotation isn’t the point, Kanter’s yearly rate won’t take as big a chunk out of the team’s payroll, post-2016, as Harden’s would have from 2013-15. As far as the resultant trades, implying that the Thunder basically cashed in an MVP candidate for Enes Kanter, one year of Kevin Martin, and Steven Adams would be off.”
Andrew Sharp of Grantland: “For one thing, this contract makes it official: Thunder management was burned so badly by not wanting to pay the luxury tax to keep James Harden (four years, $60 million) that they were shamed into paying Kanter $70 million. OKC defenders will grab their pitchforks and start yelling about context if you bring this up, but don’t let them overthink this for you. Three years ago, OKC was facing the exact same dilemma with a much better player, and its choice informed what’s happening now. The Thunder owners wouldn’t go into the tax to keep Harden, and the hidden cost of those savings was the damage it did to their reputation. Now, with Durant watching, paying Kanter has the added benefit of helping them save face. In other words, one of the biggest mistakes in NBA history just turned into … another big mistake?”
There’s a lot to say about that piece, but quick thing: The “cheap” examples fall flat, mainly because they’re not correct. For instance, not amnestying Perk didn’t have anything to do with bottom line dollars, and more to do with common sense team-building. I’ve gone over that like two thousands times, but the simple explanation is if you amnesty Perk off your books, it doesn’t gain you anything additional in terms of cap space to use on signing a new player, so it’s essentially a dead end move. You could say you amnesty him just to cut dead weight off your roster so Scott Brooks can’t play him, but that’s why you, wait for it, use him as an asset instead and trade him in a deal that nets you a new player. Which they did. If anything, the Thunder spent MORE money to not amnesty Perk, because they held on to him and paid his fat salary. So if we’re talking about cheapness, the Perk example isn’t a good one.
Kevin Pelton of ESPN Insider gives OKC a B for dealing Perry Jones: “Because teams are taxed multiples of salary above the threshold, trading Jones and filling his spot on the roster with second-round pick Dakari Johnson at the minimum salary would save Oklahoma City $5.3 million this season — $1.5 million in salary and $3.8 million in tax. The Thunder could save even more — about $7.5 million — if they leave the roster spot open. And we might see more players offloaded. Waiving Steve Novak and stretching his salary over the next three seasons would cut the tax bill a further $5.4 million. I’m sure Oklahoma City was hoping to move Jones into another team’s space or trade exception without giving up any assets. Alas, with only one season left on Jones’ rookie contract, interest in him apparently wasn’t that strong. Still, the savings were so great that the Thunder can afford to give up a second-round pick and cash.”
Neil Paine of 538 on Enes Kanter: “That may not seem important because Kanter is still personally scoring points, but basketball is a tricky sport that way. The fascinating thing that happens when you search for links between component categories and overall offensive performance is that unexpected relationships fall out of the data. A player’s passing can amplify (or diminish) the potency of the threat his scoring talent represents; his ability to stretch the floor or collapse defenses into the paint can open up opportunities for teammates. Kanter’s own numbers might not be affected, but his weaknesses show up in his team’s rates of shooting efficiency, turnovers and, ultimately, offensive success.”
John Wall keeping it 100: “Man, everybody talking about me getting $80 million and you got people getting $85 and $90 million that ain’t been an all-star or anything like that,” Wall said during the Wizards’ summer league win over the Dallas Mavericks at Thomas and Mack Center on Tuesday. “I guess they came in at the right time. The new [TV money] kicked in at the right time. That new [TV money] kicked in and they’re good now. Like, Reggie Jackson gets 5 years, 80. Like, I’m getting the same amount as Reggie Jackson right now.”
Drew Garrison of Silver Screen and Roll: “Keeping these kinds of things in perspective is important for trudging through a long season, with undoubtedly more sourced whispers about what Kevin Durant might do when he becomes a free agent. Maybe he will make his way to the Lakers, but there’s absolutely no reason to devour the headlines that will pop up over the next year. If you want to dream, dream, but this is the official disclaimer. We’ll know what he’s doing when he’s ready to finalize his next career move in ink.”
Michael Pina of Sports on Earth: “Durant isn’t leaving the Thunder, Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka and an annual trip to the Western Conference finals (let’s not forget about Enes Kanter!) for a team that’s running in mud, unable/willing to adapt on the floor or show they can fill out the margins with savvy signings and advantageous trades. Washington crossed those boxes off this summer. The team is built to run, out-shoot its competition and deploy a volatile brand of basketball on both ends of the floor.”
