Deaf Jam

David Stern is preaching that players’ salaries have to be slashed substantially in order for the league to sustain itself. In other words, Chicken Little is screaming that the sky is falling. But his cries aren't being heard. While Stern has been publicly advocating for fiscal sanity – which he should’ve done before the free agency period if he wanted us to believe this was more than a tactic related to the collective bargaining negotiations-- teams have chosen to not just ignore that message, but openly defy it.

This week, Memphis announced it's shelling out $40 million for PG Mike Conley, while Atlanta agreed to terms with C Al Horford for $60 million. Conley averaged 12 points and 5 assists in 32 minutes per game last season. Those stats aren’t exactly eye-popping, but he’s sure to be cork-popping to toast his new deal, since the five-year contract will double his annual salary, from 4 to 8 mill. Horford nearly averaged a double-double last season, with 14 points and just under 10 boards, good enough to be named an All-Star reserve. The scoring is solid and the rebounding figure is impressive, but is he worth 12 mill. a year -- or more than twice what he's earning now? To put it in perspective, Horford will make more next season than any one of his teammates this season, except Joe Johnson, who received a max. contract.*

Both Conley and Horford are from the ’07 draft class, meaning they were only going to be restricted free agents after the year, so there should’ve been no rush to re-sign them.
In essence, these franchises are gambling that these players will continue to develop and improve, and that signing them at the start of the season will be less costly than doing so at the end, eliminating a potential bidding war against other interested squads, possibly saving them money in the long-run. However, they don't appear to be on track to turn into elite players at their positions; it's doubtful they're the next Chris Paul and Dwight Howard.

The Hawks and Grizzlies are paying for potential, which is the way the NBA has conducted business for quite some time, but if that has truly caused the league sink into dire straights financially, then it needs to stop. Desist distributing dollars to the might-be-greats. Often, players don't live up to the expectations and teams are saddled for years with bad contracts that they sometimes swap for other, equally-bad contracts. Owners and GMs need to reward results and end the practice of handing huge contracts to unproven players or one-year wonders. Being an NBA lottery pick doesn't mean you should be paid like a lottery winner, although it's not their fault that owners are willing to hand them jackpot money. Powerball and basketball payouts shouldn't be the same.

*Please note that this post contains no humor, but if you want to have a good laugh, take a look at what the Wolves voluntarily agreed to pay Darko this summer. He's responded with an average of 3.5 points on 18 percent shooting through four games. Money well-spent.