September 17, 2003

Taking one for the team.: Pat Riley and everyone else in the Miami Heat's front office is taking a 10% paycut. Read that again. A 10% paycut in order to stem the need for further layoffs in the organization. Great leadership or has Riles been out in the sun too long?
More inside...

posted by lilnemo to basketball at 01:24 PM - 21 comments

Personally I think this is a great gesture on Pat & the Heat's part. Can anyone else think of the last time something like this occured? Slightly OT, I like how the columnist sneaks the nice little factoid about the NBA's Drug Policy. Weed will get you an indefinite number of 5 game suspensions until the player complies with the league's aftercare program. Coke, however, gets you banned outright. You can apply for reinstatement 2 years later. I think Roy Tarpley, and Richard Dumas did this. I'm not sure if Lloyd Daniels ever stuck with a team long enough to get banned or be reinstated. I found this tidbit interesting in that the columnist brings it up in light of Lamar Odom's recent arrival. I'm not suggesting that the columnist is suggesting that Odom was, is, or will be caught with coke. But I will admit that when Odom signed the Heat's offer sheet, it crossed my mind.

posted by lilnemo at 01:33 PM on September 17, 2003

Riley and staff should be careful...a similiarly generous move didn't work out to well for employees of this organization.

posted by msacheson at 01:43 PM on September 17, 2003

Dang it, msacheson! That was my witty riposte!

posted by Justin Slotman at 02:23 PM on September 17, 2003

Good on them. It'd be a bigger vote of confidence if the players did the same, but then again, flying pigs will shoot from my ass at a high velocity before that happens.

posted by Ufez Jones at 03:11 PM on September 17, 2003

How fast are we talkin'?

posted by lilnemo at 03:43 PM on September 17, 2003

Faster than Damon Staudemire can score a nickel-bag in Vancouver.

posted by Ufez Jones at 03:50 PM on September 17, 2003

Wow. Just wow.

posted by lilnemo at 04:03 PM on September 17, 2003

Booyah. It's a good gesture. And when you are talking 10% of Riley's salary alone, that's alot of layoffs saved. I like the move, except for the fact that I have to cut Riles some slack for it, which I don't like to do, him being the simpering fucktard that he is.

posted by vito90 at 04:06 PM on September 17, 2003

NFL players take cuts all the time, especially right before the spring and summer free agent deadlines, to 'help' their teams make the salary cap.

posted by billsaysthis at 04:56 PM on September 17, 2003

Ufez, can you come here to Cali to shoot those pigs out your butt or do I have to travel to Texas? Perhaps a webcast?

posted by billsaysthis at 04:57 PM on September 17, 2003

Is there a payroll minimum for players in the NBA? If so, an across-the-board cut for them might run afoul of that. While this is a nice gesture, I view it more as a sign of the problems of the Heat. I never would've figured a Pat Riley-led team would become one of the sad-sack franchises of the league.

posted by rcade at 05:00 PM on September 17, 2003

And also because the teams feel they are overpaying for the player, read:Lawyer Milloy. More often than not NFL contract restructuring is done to bring in another player, or allow the player to get a fat signing bonus. Not to save the jobs of concessioners, ball boys, secretary, et al.

posted by lilnemo at 05:00 PM on September 17, 2003

The NBA CBA has a tier system regarding contract minimums that is dependent upon time served in the league. The veteran's minimum is $1 Million.

posted by lilnemo at 05:05 PM on September 17, 2003

Oops, the veteran's minimum changed to $1,070,000.00 this season. Or $1.07 Million for readability. But that's for 10+ year veterans. 9 year vets get the $1 Million minimum salary this year.

posted by lilnemo at 05:08 PM on September 17, 2003

Here's a link to a NBA CBA FAQ. Good stuff.

posted by lilnemo at 05:09 PM on September 17, 2003

lilnemo, my only point was that NFL players do take cuts in certain situations. That and that I want to see the pigs flying out of Ufez's butt.

posted by billsaysthis at 05:10 PM on September 17, 2003

Then we are in agreement bill. Fire away Ufez!

posted by lilnemo at 05:20 PM on September 17, 2003

I know girl who can do something kind of like that with ping-pong balls. Oh, who am I kidding? I don't even know any girls. *clutches can tightly to chest as warm salty tears drop softly onto cold Rocky Mountain refreshment*

posted by Samsonov14 at 06:07 PM on September 17, 2003

Oh I know it happens in certain circumstances, bill, but I think that's vastly different from an entire team (or those that can without violating mandatory minimums) take a cut to save other employees, i.e. with no valid effect on the game of the team. Karl Malone took a whole hell of a lot less than he could've made elsewhere, but I won't consider him pig out the ass worthy. Okay maybe just one, but you've got to come here to see it.

posted by Ufez Jones at 08:37 PM on September 17, 2003

Sportsfilter: Pig out the ass worthy.

posted by bcb2k2 at 07:52 AM on September 18, 2003

I'll be in Dallas late next month, with videocam in hand!

posted by billsaysthis at 02:06 PM on September 18, 2003

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