kodo wrote:DASMACKDOWN wrote:Ccwatercraft wrote:Ironically the big money: phx, gsw, lac are all in quite a pickle, but to be honest I'd rather have their pickle than ours, because at least they are spending.
While we're talking about "can't do drummond because..." Balmer is saying "if drummond helps us, figure it out "
And that is what makes all of us so frustrated.
I have stats on all the other major sports leagues for their top 5 franchises, but I am willing to bet that we are the only franchise that strictly operates as a money-making business.
No other team has to prove themselves first before the owners are willing to even tip toe in the tax.
Everyone seems to accept the AK "we can't pay tax until we're a top 4 team" rationale...but the problem is our competition is paying lux tax. Obviously the Heat are very much our competition having eliminated us from the postseason 2 years in a row...they are a massive lux tax paying team. Not only are they paying lux tax, they are past the 1st apron and at the 2nd apron. $190M to compete as a play-in team.
Butler: $49M-$52M (looking for $56M extension)
Bam: $35M (looking for extension to $55M)
Herro: $29M-$33M
Rozier: $25M - $27M
Robinson: $19M-$20M
While we let Derrick Jones walk, need to salary dump Lavine, and will probably let Drummond walk if he gets anything more than league min.
If we really want to be one of those playoff teams, they almost all will pay lux tax. Miami, Warriors, Clippers, Dallas, Memphis, Lakers, Phoenix, Philly once Maxey gets his max, etc..
“The Heat, who aren’t very good, pay the tax” is not a compelling reason for the Bulls to pay the tax for this crappy team, even though their history of staying out of the tax is depressing.
“Philly once Maxey gets his max” is not remotely a tax team. They project to have a ton of cap space! They may well end up there in a couple seasons if they keep Embiid and Maxey together, but they’re not a tax team now and don’t project to be one soon.
I agree, though, you should be willing to pay the tax for a contender. But just paying the tax doesn’t make you one and the Bulls doing so now certainly won’t. But you did see the Bulls do crappy stuff (like unload Korver) when they were better than they are now to avoid the tax, and that was dispiriting.
FWIW, Boston and Denver are paying the tax, but Minnesota isn’t. Philly isn’t. New York isn’t. OKC isn’t. Indiana isn’t. Cleveland isn’t.
I want the Bulls to be willing to pay the tax to have a good team, and I have lots of doubts whether they will (and how far into the tax they’d go in the rare instance they’re willing), but the appetite to pay the tax is not what is keeping the Bulls from being good right now.