Zion may return to Duke (and snub Pelicans)...

[Capt. Tuttle]

Really come to hate professional sports. I could care less if the big market teams get the best players. I’m a Giants fan and celebrated the super bowl wins under Eli like the rest of em. But never agreed with allowing a player to sabotage a franchise. We all sacrifice to make a living. To have to make a sacrifice while making millions...I think most of us would sign up for that. Same goes for free agency. Hate it. Playing field hasn’t been even since it came about. I love teams that draft well,develop guys and are able to keep them.
Dinosaur thinking,I know.

Collective statist thinking, is more like it. . Screw individual choice. Big brother should control all you do. How dare you maximize earnings. The free market is bad. (Except for you, who should be able to change employers and locations as you see fit.)

 

[PauliePeppas]

No organization worse than the Knicks.

And yet their the most valuable with a ridiculously loyal fanbase. Imagine if they ever get good

 

[HakAttack]

No organization worse than the Knicks.

If you care about winning, sure, it’s awful. If you just want to get paid and you’re a washed up star...come on down. It’s a great place to play!

 

[Hoo's That]

Collective statist thinking, is more like it. . Screw individual choice. Big brother should control all you do. How dare you maximize earnings. The free market is bad. (Except for you, who should be able to change employers and locations as you see fit.)

Even George F. Will has admitted socialism in the form of the common draft saved his favorite sport, professional baseball.

 

[Cappy3]

Collective statist thinking, is more like it. . Screw individual choice. Big brother should control all you do. How dare you maximize earnings. The free market is bad. (Except for you, who should be able to change employers and locations as you see fit.)

The thing is professional sports is a different case than most businesses. In the average business, putting competitors out of business (or drastically weakening them) can increase your profits. But in professional sports profits require competitive balance. The Yankees/Red Sox May be great baseball, but no one wants to see them play each other 162 times. If teams become too weak, the leagues may have to contract, thus providing fewer opportunities for players.

 

[Fat tire 13]

Articles about Zion refusing to play (or threatening to return to Duke) get a lot more clicks than ones that says he is happy to play for the Pelicans. Let's wait for some real evidence here. If AD gets a change of heart, a Zion/AD core is very intriguing, and downright scary if they can add a couple more pieces.

 

[nzm136]

One thing I’ve figured out this week is that too few people have traveled to New Orleans. They don’t know what they’re missing.

Or don’t remember.
(I’m sure I’m not the 1st person to make that joke on this thread, but it’s still worth repeating if someone beat me to the punch.)

 

[nzm136]

The thing is professional sports is a different case than most businesses. In the average business, putting competitors out of business (or drastically weakening them) can increase your profits. But in professional sports profits require competitive balance. The Yankees/Red Sox May be great baseball, but no one wants to see them play each other 162 times. If teams become too weak, the leagues may have to contract, thus providing fewer opportunities for players.

Incorrect. I do, and I hope that the Yankees win every game.

 

[realorange]

And yet their the most valuable with a ridiculously loyal fanbase. Imagine if they ever get good

Right now that takes a Great imagination.

 

[creatorsgam]

Right now that takes a Great imagination.

Yes.

Every day I imagine Dolan selling.

Every. Damn. Day.

 

[Briancuse]

1. He is not a star in the NBA...yet. He hasn't played a game

2. Nobody is talking about quality of life only. Mostly, it's about business and other opportunities. Also, have you lived in NOLA and those other cities? I'm guessing that your guessing.

3. Read up on the NBA. Teams can tie you up 5 years or longer. The 5th year being a restricted FA year where the team that drafted you can match any contract offer, including more years.

1. Hes not. than why was the camera on him 90 pct of the time during the lottery, or any other time?

2. Hows Drew brees doing in nola?

 

[OrangeDW]

He is going to be turning down more business opportunities than 99% of the league is even offered.

It will be interesting to see which shoe company he goes with.

Nike typically seems to be most players number 1 choice. It will be interesting to see if the famous shoe blowout will have any affect. I’m sure Nike doesn’t want to be known for their shoe falling apart AND him then spurning them to sign elsewhere, so I’m thinking they will pay whatever it takes. He seems to be the perfect candidate for these other companies to make ridiculously large offers to though. And if he were to sign elsewhere, I wonder if any of them would take it there(our shoes won’t fall apart) with their marketing.

Should be interesting. And I’m betting Zion gets an insane amount of money from one of the shoe companies.

 

[alphaorange]

1. Hes not. than why was the camera on him 90 pct of the time during the lottery, or any other time? I guess it has to be on someone, right? He has buzz at this point, yes. Hardly makes him an NBA star now.

2. Hows Drew brees doing in nola? Not as good as if he was on the Giants or Cowboys for all these years.

 

[alphaorange]

He is going to be turning down more business opportunities than 99% of the league is even offered.

But they would still be better opportunities in NY..or LA. Just a fact. More fans equals more money and more opportunities. Nobody can successfully argue otherwise.

 

[alphaorange]

No kidding. The Pels winning a playoff series in the West last year is more impressive than anything the Knicks have done in a decade if not this century.

Better read up on the knicks since the front office changed. Lots of buzz about the best FAs and what they are building. You're living in the past.

 

[Briancuse]

I've never seen a college player get as much buzz as Zion has.

I'm a cowboys fan. What cowboy player has gotten the attention as much as brees?

Did LeBron or Duncan or the Greek freak play in big markets?

 

[Briancuse]

Better read up on the knicks since the front office changed. Lots of buzz about the best FAs and what they are building. You're living in the past.

It's all talk until I see Durant at a Knicks press conference I won't believe it. I remember when it was a "lock" that LeBron was going to be a knick.

 

[OrangeDW]

I've never seen a college player get as much buzz as Zion has.

I'm a cowboys fan. What cowboy player has gotten the attention as much as brees?

Did LeBron or Duncan or the Greek freak play in big markets?

Agreed. People can point out that Davis hasn’t been super popular and try to blame that on New Orleans...but he wasn’t that popular in college either! Not like Zion. That’s just the way it goes. Inside players don’t typically move the needle, other than Shaq - and that was his freakish size, ripping down baskets, and outsized personality driving that. The most popular players are usually guards or freaks and market doesn’t always matter: see Curry, LeBron, Kyrie, Westbrook, etc.

 

[HOFCeluck]

I never thought Shaq was funny.

 

[realorange]

Better read up on the knicks since the front office changed. Lots of buzz about the best FAs and what they are building. You're living in the past.

And who still owns the Knicks and likes to stick his nose into everything? It will be national news no matter what they end up doing, but I'm betting it's for the wrong reasons.

 

[chugg21]

Better read up on the knicks since the front office changed. Lots of buzz about the best FAs and what they are building. You're living in the past.

They aren't building anything. They might be able to entice Durant strictly because of the market. Don't confuse that with being competent.

 

[Ghost]

How come Derrick Rose is always near the top of every sales/popularity/q-score worldwide list ever? Seriously. It befuddles me. Is he still marketable for some reason? Even in Minnesota...don't matter. Does he just buy up tons of his own Timberwolves jersey?

I mean, he destroys Anthony Davis.

 

[cto]

In the summer of 2012, when Anthony Davis was 18 years old and just a year out of high school, he was the last-minute, after-thought addition to the US Olympic team after some big guy got hurt. He was everyone's "little brother" and his team mates loved him... always passing him the ball when the game was long-since won .. and urging him to shoot.

Oddly, I spent a lot of time with him in London -- for some odd reason, having breakfast with him frequently. He was the nicest young man. Unfailingly polite, and interested in what other people had to think and say. As a result, I have rooted for him ever since. I think he has gotten a bad rap recently because of his desire to be with a winning team. After seven years of playing his heart out in New Orleans (where ownership has done nothing to improve the team), I think he has earned the right to want to play for a better team.

 

[chugg21]

How come Derrick Rose is always near the top of every sales/popularity/q-score worldwide list ever? Seriously. It befuddles me. Is he still marketable for some reason? Even in Minnesota...don't matter. Does he just buy up tons of his own Timberwolves jersey?

I mean, he destroys Anthony Davis.

Rose is HUGE in China. They alone are why Adidas keeps making new signature shoes for him.

 

[chugg21]

In the summer of 2012, when Anthony Davis was 18 years old and just a year out of high school, he was the last-minute, after-thought addition to the US Olympic team after some big guy got hurt. He was everyone's "little brother" and his team mates loved him... always passing him the ball when the game was long-since won .. and urging him to shoot.

Oddly, I spent a lot of time with him in London -- for some odd reason, having breakfast with him frequently. He was the nicest young man. Unfailingly polite, and interested in what other people had to think and say. As a result, I have rooted for him ever since. I think he has gotten a bad rap recently because of his desire to be with a winning team. After seven years of playing his heart out in New Orleans (where ownership has done nothing to improve the team), I think he has earned the right to want to play for a better team.

The thought that ownership hasn't done anything is so wild to me. Its like Boogies achilles blowing after they make a huge trade was a failure of their doing. That is bad luck, not a bad plan or lack of trying.